After the final boss monster perished, the second terrain, which had been blocked by a translucent barrier, opened.
[You have entered the dungeon: Current terrain 2/4: Current number of people 301: 1750 hours until explosion]
As soon as they entered the swamp, they created ten
In the swamp, where even the dew on the leaves was poisonous, not only combat hunters but also healers had a lot to do. Seo Chaeyoon's shield could block external poison, but it couldn't stop the poison generated by the terrain inside the shield, so this was something the healers had to handle.
Park Soobin, Kim Jinhae, and the other healers used their skills tirelessly, purifying the poisonous mist, cleansing the toxic plants, and healing hunters affected by the poison.
"Hah… This is tough. Ten years ago, there weren't even mana potions. How did people manage back then?"
Park Soobin spoke as he downed five mana potions in a row.
Do Deungsoo, who was guarding the support hunters nearby, recalled Yoon Seo's calm voice explaining the swamp.
Back then, he had marveled at how Yoon Seo could remember such details. But now, thinking about how deeply rotten Yoon Seo must have been inside, Do Deungsoo felt bitter regret for only being impressed.
This was only the second terrain, but they had felt it from the beginning. This place was incomparable to an S-rank Red Dungeon. Without Seo Chaeyoon's information, they would have despaired the moment they saw the message 'Current terrain 1/4' upon entering. They would have wandered aimlessly after defeating the first boss monster, unsure why the second terrain hadn't opened. And the despair of realizing there were three boss monsters in a single terrain would have been indescribable.
The battles so far could hardly be called easy, but they were progressing steadily according to the strategy they had set up. This was all thanks to those who had endured the horrific disaster ten years ago.
"They were all incredible heroes."
Do Deungsoo spoke sincerely, reinforcing the barrier.
Naturally, their brief conversation also reached the ears of Yoon Seo, who was fighting at the front line.
'Indeed. How did they endure it?'
In fact, he wasn't sure if it could be said that they had truly endured it. After all, they all died in the end.
Kraaak!
Yoon Seo used
Kraaaak!
As the monsters screamed, Yoon Seo checked the headcount.
Confirming that no one had died yet, Yoon Seo raised his sword towards the monsters charging at him.
***
"Hey! Get a grip! Drink the potion!"
"Move the injured inside!"
"We need to burn the corpses. Hunters with fire skills, gather up!"
The first battle in the swamp ended after six hours. After tending to the injured, the hunters with fire skills burned all the monster corpses. The swamp monsters exuded poison even from their dead bodies.
Once the situation was somewhat under control, they received the injury reports. Three were critically wounded, and fifty-two had minor injuries.
'No one has died.'
Fortunately, there were no deaths this time, but if this continued, there would surely be casualties in the second battle. The number of swamp monsters was more than twice that of those in the lava zone, and they attacked in swarms with almost no rest. With the healers' help, the hunters with minor injuries could return for the next battle, but the three critically wounded would need more time to recover. Among the severely injured was one A-rank hunter…
Yoon Seo stood there in thought when he saw Kwon Jihan, who had been scouting the terrain from above, slowly descending to the ground.
"..."
Sensing Yoon Seo's gaze, Kwon Jihan turned his head toward him. As the distance between them closed, Kwon Jihan suddenly clutched his chest.
"Hah…"
"What's wrong?"
Yoon Seo raised one eyebrow, wondering why Kwon Jihan was acting strange since he wasn't hurt. Grasping his chest, Kwon Jihan spoke.
"Is this what an angel descending would look like?"
"What nonsense are you talking about now?"
"No, it's just… the sight of you walking with a reversed dagger, covered in monster blood, with the sunset behind you… the mood is insane, Hyung."
"Ridiculous. If you want to say the mood is intense, you'd need to at least be talking about a man spreading black wings with a distant, ash-gray gaze against a burning red sky."
Hunters around the two took a step back.
[The God of Life smiles warmly.]
[The God of Death is annoyed.]
Both quickly scanned the other for any injuries and headed towards the armored vehicle where the leaders had already gathered. Kwon Jihan pulled some wet wipes from his inventory and handed them to Yoon Seo.
"I'm going to wash up later anyway."
"Just wipe for now. Or do you want me to do it for you?"
Yoon Seo wiped off the blood splatters on his arms and face. Do Deungsoo then asked Kwon Jihan.
"Hunter Kwon Jihan, what's the situation with the monsters?"
"We'll encounter them in about 10 minutes. There are quite a few flying types, and some big ones too."
"Hunter Seo Chaeyoon was right. They really aren't giving us a break."
Do Deungsoo's face showed weariness. It was true that no matter how many monsters they killed, the battle kept dragging on because of the constant reinforcements.
"Hunter Seo Chaeyoon, we'll need your shield as planned."
"Yes."
Yoon Seo nodded. His eyes glowed a vivid blue as mana spread from his body in all directions. The skill he was about to use was his strongest shield, one that had never been broken by external force.
[You have activated the skill
Blue light enveloped the camp in a dome shape, drawing gasps from those nearby. Many hunters possessed blue mana, but Seo Chaeyoon's was uniquely beautiful and mysterious. The nervous new Revengers, who had been uneasy due to the howling monsters nearby, felt both awe and relief.
"It's always an incredible sight."
Kwon Jihan whistled softly as he looked around at the magical shield.
"Now we just wait for the monsters to gather. It'll take some time, so get some rest. I'm going inside to lie down."
"I'll head in too."
Do Deungsoo, Alec, and a few others went inside.
Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan, after washing up and changing clothes, came back outside. As they wandered near the edge of the
"Earlier, our Chichi got stuck in the swamp. It was incredibly deep. He just kept sinking, so I quickly unsummoned him."
Yoon Seo tilted his head in curiosity.
"If he got stuck in the swamp, he must've been hit by the poison too."
"Oh, but after a short interval, if I summon him again, he's completely fine."
"That's crazy. Are you saying that no matter how severe the injury, if you unsummon and then resummon, he's okay?"
"Yeah, but there's a cooldown between resummons."
"How long?"
"A few days, maybe three or four?"
Hong Euiyoon had a strange expression.
"That seems both long and short."
"For light injuries, I can resummon him immediately, but this time he was hit hard by the poison, and Chichi was really shaken, so I'm waiting a bit longer before resummoning."
"How are the fairies doing?"
"One of the fairies has a poison purification skill, so they're fine. Even without me saying anything, she's been going around purifying the poison."
"…Summoners really are cheat codes, damn it."
Hong Euiyoon, who had struggled to avoid the poison, cursed in envy.
As Yoon Seo listened to Soo Jaehee brag about his summoned creatures, he suddenly felt like seeing Riceball.
"The smell of blood is gone, so I think it's safe to call it out now."
When Yoon Seo's hand fidgeted with the handle of his dagger, Kwon Jihan chuckled and spoke. Yoon Seo felt slightly embarrassed that his thoughts had been read, but he decided to bring out Riceball anyway. He pulled out the 'Existing Spirit' and transformed its shape, and a small bird appeared with a chirp.
Peep peep.
"Stay within the shield."
Peep, peep!
Riceball flapped its wings and flew off, excited to explore the surroundings. The group paused to watch the small bird flit around.
The tiny bird flew around the busy hunters and finally perched on a blade of grass, now free of poison. While Yoon Seo's ears were tuned to the ongoing chatter between Soo Jaehee and Hong Euiyoon, his eyes were on Riceball nibbling at the grass. Then, he noticed a man approaching Riceball. He was tall and lean, but his face was rugged—it was Chris Kyle.
An S-rank hunter and leader of a hunter organization, Chris Kyle was also known as "The Great Thief of America." There had been much debate about supporting him in the Great Dungeon, but his overwhelming power made him an asset too valuable to refuse. After thorough background checks, he was allowed to join. Now, the hunter stared greedily at the 'Existing Spirit' enjoying the nature of the Great Dungeon. The hunter looked up.
"..."
"..."
For a moment, the hunter and Seo Chaeyoon faced each other. Yoon Seo, wearing his white mask, revealed no expression, but the hunter was clearly glaring at him. Hong Euiyoon and Soo Jaehee tensed up simultaneously, but Kwon Jihan, unaffected, stirred the boundary of the
"Hyung, how much can this skill block again? Was it 70 million tons?"
"It blocked an S-rank Red Dungeon explosion 11 years ago, so it should be more than that."
"That's seriously cool. You're still my ideal type."
While the two exchanged a brief conversation, the hunter seemed to lose his intent and walked away from Riceball, retreating slowly.
note: Chichi = Haechi (manhwa, chapter 29)