The Lizard King

Dungeon subjugation—part four. Alpha, or the Lizard Man King. Honestly, the former fits better than the latter. What kind of king is that thing? It's just a lizard that's gotten a little bigger. Kraaak—! Still, it carries a crudely carved stone knife instead of a wooden spear, as if to live up to the title. Getting cut or stabbed by that would hurt like hell.

I slipped backward, and the black stone blade whistled past. Fast. Even for an Alpha, this was excessive. 'Originally, even at its best, this thing was capped at C-rank.'

As the acting lead instructor, I'd made sure to study the dungeon thoroughly. Lizard Men never exceeded C-rank, no matter how generously you rated them. That held true even for their leader, the Alpha—the so-called dungeon boss. It was just a bit larger; otherwise, it was no different. Its official rating was C-rank, not even B. In other words, every monster in this dungeon should be manageable for Gold-rank students. From the Lizard Man I'd faced earlier to the Alpha now roaring in front of me.

But this one's level had surpassed that Gold-rank threshold. Its stone knife was crude, yet the speed with which it swung the weapon matched Jeong Yuhyeon's. No—correction. It was faster than Jeong Yuhyeon. Jeong Yuhyeon, you bastard who can't even beat a lizard.

Kuak—! I dodged the lightning-fast slash, only for its tail to whip around next. I couldn't avoid this one. Trying to dodge everything would get me killed. Thud—! A heavy impact rattled through my entire body. It felt like I'd been hit by a car, if I exaggerated a little. Still, it wasn't something I couldn't endure. Far better than taking a hit from an Elder's spear.

'Still… this isn't the kind of power a C-rank should be putting out.'

This wasn't a brand-new dungeon that had appeared a day or two ago, nor was this monster a newly discovered species. It was a dungeon that had always existed, monsters we'd always fought. Nothing had changed—except their overall level. The thought sent a chill down my spine. What would have happened if only Gold-rank students had entered?

'What do you think? It would've been breaking news. "Tragedy during Academy student field training."'

Thank goodness. Thank goodness we'd come together. Thank goodness I'd accepted Ma Hakjun's proposal. It was a relief that we hadn't sent them in powerless.

Kiryk—! The Alpha glanced at me, then turned its head and started walking away. Apparently, the students fighting over there looked like tastier prey than I did. My pride took a serious hit. I wasn't even incapacitated, yet it was getting careless? The sight reminded me of Jeong Yuhyeon, and irritation flared.

"Hey, lizard!"

The Alpha let out a kiryk and turned its head. Did it actually understand human speech? Probably not. It had just heard the sound.

"Where do you think you're going?"

'If the Academy rates it between Gold and Platinum… that means even if its measured rank is C, its actual level is at least B.'

If this thing had attacked the students from behind, it would've been disastrous. With everyone already occupied in other fights, a B-rank-level Alpha suddenly joining in? There would've definitely been serious injuries—or deaths. That couldn't happen. No, it absolutely couldn't. Casualties under my watch? That would be betraying Ma Hakjun, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who had trusted me with the role of acting instructor. And I didn't want that either. At the very least, while I was in charge, I didn't want anyone losing their life. I didn't want to see it. On top of that, it would wound the Gatekeeper's pride.

Where did it think it was going? It hadn't even taken the placement exam, yet it was trying to leave.

'Damn it, you're the Gatekeeper. Let's start with the placement test first.'

Kyaa—! That constant kiryk, kyaa, kuak. Didn't it have any other sounds? I drove my fist straight into the charging creature's open maw. I felt soft flesh and solid muscle beneath my knuckles, followed by a spray of red blood and sticky saliva.

Kiryk, kruk— The Alpha staggered, its eyes wide with shock. Yeah, it probably thought this was strange too. The hit had landed perfectly. Honestly, I was a little surprised myself. I hadn't expected it to connect that hard.

'First time seeing this message.'

Whatever it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was, it didn't matter right now. The priority was eliminating the Alpha, the greatest threat to the students. The solid hit seemed to have enraged it. The creature let out a roar and attacked with twice the ferocity, swinging its stone knife and tail. A cold sensation slid down my spine. It wasn't on the level of an Elder, but it wasn't something to underestimate either. One solid hit and I might lose consciousness. If that happened, not only would I be in danger, but the students still fighting would be too.

Dodge, dodge again, then slip inside on the third strike. I couldn't make any large movements, but that didn't mean I couldn't cut it. Chwaak—! A meaningful gash opened across its chest. Its massive hand immediately followed, but I pulled back just in time. Its sheer size created plenty of blind spots. I had to target those. Exploit the weakness mercilessly.

Of course, the Alpha had no intention of allowing another approach. It gritted its teeth. Chaeng—! I'd underestimated the stone knife because it looked crude, but it was surprisingly durable. I'd thought a few sword strikes would shatter it, but it seemed I'd need to change tactics.

'Swing, swing, one tail strike, and now.' I timed my counter ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for when its empty hand lashed out. A perfect counter. A long cut opened along the Alpha's forearm. Kreeek—! Blood poured from the split flesh. It had landed cleanly. Well, it had landed, but…

'It should've gone deeper and higher than this.'

It wasn't just strength and speed that had improved. Its hide was tougher than the other Lizard Men's. My palm was numb from the impact, yet I'd only managed that shallow cut. It wasn't unbeatable, but it was annoyingly resilient.

The best move right now was to hold out until the students arrived. That way, I'd get Kang Hana's overwhelming firepower support. 'But that would look pathetic.' As the acting lead instructor, waiting for students didn't sit right. And with the Gatekeeper trait active, letting a monster that hadn't even taken the placement exam force me into a team attack would be an insult to the trait itself.

What should I do? Think. Find a way to retire this thing for good. Its strengths were durability, power, and speed far beyond ordinary Lizard Men. A moment's carelessness would mean broken bones or being cleanly severed by that stone knife. But its size also meant ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠larger blind spots—weaknesses it was currently covering with speed. I'd already tried exploiting one once. It wasn't stupid enough to ignore that possibility again.

'Power. Speed. Strengths. Blind spots. Weaknesses… Wait.'

A thought occurred to me. Did I really need to target only its weaknesses? What if I used its strengths against it for a counter? And I already knew how.

'Kang Minsung.'

When I'd gone to dinner at Kim Suhyun's invitation, I'd ended up sparring with Kang Minsung. An A-rank ability user, yet in a completely different league from other A-ranks. Defeat had been inevitable, and using my trait had incurred a penalty. A terrifying warning that repeated use could erase the trait entirely. But it hadn't been all loss. I was the type to make sure I got something out of my efforts—or my suffering.

Kieeek—! The Alpha swung its stone knife again, still fast, still strong. Pure monstrous destructive power. Until a moment ago, that strength had been infuriating. But now, that very brute force was almost welcome.

I recalled Kang Minsung's stance that day, the way he'd held his sword, even his breathing. Vividly. Then I recreated it—exactly, yet differently. The creature's movements gradually slowed. Within that slowing world, a faint path revealed itself. The sword path of the past hero, the Sword Demon, the one he'd tried to show me. I drew out the technique he'd spent decades perfecting, making it my own.

'Just a little more.'

The stone knife was right in front of me. My heart pounded wildly, and my mind screamed to do something. But I held back. I endured. I waited. Just like Kang Minsung had, staring straight at the perfect moment.

'…Now.'

I didn't force it. I didn't rush. Quietly, smoothly—like a single breath of wind, just as he'd shown me. Tuung— Something heavy met the tip of my blade, then suddenly became light. Immediately after, I saw the Alpha's body that had been charging at me lift into the air.

'Got it.'

A laugh escaped me. I hadn't expected it to actually work. But joy and excitement could wait. It wasn't over yet. My fight wasn't finished, and neither had Kang Minsung's at that point.

The final technique Kang Minsung had used. It had been even fainter than the previous one, but I felt I could manage it. I'd fill in the missing parts with other memories I possessed. Elder's, Lee Hyunwoo's, and even Kim Suhyun's. Using what was theirs—and now mine—to fill the gaps.

"Hup!"

My body moved, and the sword followed, swinging with all my strength. Every muscle in my body screamed as if tearing, but I gritted my teeth and endured. Tuung— Something hit the ground. The Alpha's head, its tongue still flicking moments ago. Its massive body toppled backward after it. Thud—!

"…Crazy."

That old man had really used something this terrifying on me?