Chapter 33 - Blazing Peak (6)
The Flying Thunder Flash that pierced the Red Drake's eye began rampaging wildly inside its skull.
One shot didn't seem like enough, so Kim Sun-woo gathered his remaining inner energy and unleashed a barrage of Flying Thunder Flashes in quick succession.
-Kyaaaaaaaak!!!
The drake thrashed about, shaking its head violently from the immense pain shredding its brain.
Kim Sun-woo gritted his teeth, trying desperately to hold on, but his grip gave out, sending him flying back to tumble across the ground.
"......"
He didn't even have the strength left to twitch a finger.
Having expended all his inner energy on the Flying Thunder Flashes, there was nothing more he could do.
-Kak, kyak, kak......
The Red Drake spewed thick bodily fluids from every orifice as it slammed its head into the ground.
But its glaring yellow eyes still brimmed with murderous intent, fixed on Kim Sun-woo.
"...Just, die already. That should've done it."
Kim Sun-woo muttered weakly.
I pierced its eye and shredded its brain to bits.
No way it's surviving that. Its brains and flesh must be a mangled milkshake by now.
Even an elite monster with top-tier regeneration couldn't tank this.
Thud.
Sure enough, moments later, the light faded from the Red Drake's eyes as its massive body collapsed to the ground.
It seemed to struggle for a bit, but after a few feeble spasms, it breathed its last.
"Hoo."
Kim Sun-woo relaxed, lying flat on the ground and panting heavily.
Even the fight with the Black Knight hadn't drained him this much.
Back then, he'd calculated every move for a near-perfect battle.
This time, he'd charged in recklessly, trusting his instincts.
Having Su-ah there to heal him instantly had made all the difference.
"Oppa!"
Of course, she was still here now too.
As the Red Drake fell, the scattered hunters began staggering back one by one.
Su-ah, who had been buffing the rear and treating the wounded, dropped everything and rushed to Kim Sun-woo's side, pouring her full healing power into him.
Whoosh!
As the familiar warmth soaked into his body, Robert appeared, supported by the other hunters.
"You look like hell."
"Speak for yourself."
Kim Sun-woo and Robert exchanged bitter smiles.
Robert plopped down in front of the healing Kim Sun-woo with a heavy sigh, turning his gaze to the Red Drake's corpse.
"...Thanks, first off. Without you, the casualties would've been way worse. Honestly, it's a miracle we got off this lightly."
"Is this dungeon normally this brutal? Feels way too tough for a single team."
Kim Sun-woo glanced around.
They said it was one of the easier C-rank dungeons, but facing just one elite monster had left them in tatters.
There was no guarantee only one Red Drake would appear, and somewhere up that peak lurked the boss monster they'd yet to even glimpse.
No matter how he sliced it, they'd misjudged the dungeon's difficulty against their party's strength.
"The dungeon selection process is pretty objective and conservative. The issue's on our end."
"So it's not usually like this?"
Robert nodded wearily at Kim Sun-woo's question.
"Red Drakes are elite monsters, sure, but they have established strategies. As I mentioned, the Knight Team has cleared this place multiple times before. We've fought Red Drakes too, obviously."
"How'd it go back then?"
"Tough opponent, but doable. It's just an elite, not boss-tier."
They avoided it because the risk-reward didn't stack up—not because it was impossible.
"Plus, with two C-rank hunters, we figured we could handle it without support..."
Robert furrowed his brow.
A specimen that huge, spewing such massive breaths—it was a first, even in the records.
The previous Red Drakes had been similar to the ones they'd taken down before, hadn't they?
"Come to think of it."
Deputy Team Leader Sung Ha-rin, who had been listening quietly, spoke up as if recalling something.
"Things felt off from the start. Monsters spawned earlier than usual, and there were double the numbers. Everyone thought it was weird, right?"
"...Red flags from the beginning, huh."
Robert let out a long sigh.
Five hunters had died taking down that one Red Drake.
For one of Mugung Guild's main raid teams, that was catastrophic.
Each of them was a valuable asset the guild had nurtured for years.
I can't face the Guild Master like this.
Robert sighed again with a sour expression, then addressed the team watching him.
"Pushing further is pointless. We'll rest, recover the bodies, and pull out."
Dungeons stayed open until the boss was slain.
If you didn't clear it in time, the influence leaked into the real world.
That's why the government assigned them to guilds and hunters.
Blazing Peak was one of Mugung's shared dungeons with other guilds.
They'd planned to clear it this raid and reset the cooldown, but bailing would cause delays.
Mugung had three options:
Send reinforcements immediately to clear within the deadline.
Delay the cooldown cycle for a safer raid.
Or forfeit this cycle and hand it off to another guild.
Either way, it meant significant losses for Mugung.
Team Leader Robert would face penalties too.
But overreaching wasn't an option.
"Those still able-bodied, start moving out. We'll leave as soon as we're ready."
"Got it."
The wounded got treated while the rest bustled to pack up the ashes of the base camp.
"......"
Kim Sun-woo sat on a rock, silently watching the hunters as healing magic flowed into him.
Colleagues dying was par for the course in this line of work.
Traps, surprise strong mobs—life flipped to death in an instant for countless reasons.
Making it this far without disaster was borderline miraculous.
If not for my 'senses,' it would've been impossible.
"Oppa, external wounds are all healed. How's the inside? Internal stuff's tricky to treat rashly."
"Potion took care of it. Just need a check-up later."
Even the ribs shattered by the Red Drake's direct hit had mostly mended.
Still uncomfortable to move, but proper treatment back home would fix it.
"Gonna recharge my inner energy first. Su-ah, same as before—keep watch."
"Got it. Holler if anything comes up."
Han Su-ah gripped her staff tightly, nodding with a determined look.
With her guarding him, Kim Sun-woo sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
Sword Aura manifestation, White Flow Sword Technique combos, and near-spamming Flying Thunder Flash had emptied his dantian.
He'd never pushed his inner energy to such extremes, even in training.
"Hoo."
Breathing deeply, he drew in the ambient natural energy swirling in the air.
Unlike the real world, dungeons brimmed with mana and natural energy.
He'd benefited plenty in Cradle of the Broken Pilgrim with those spirit herbs.
Here in this volcanic zone, the natural energy—laden with scorching heat—poured into him rapidly.
"......?"
But something felt off.
Inhale to absorb natural energy with the air, exhale to expel everything else.
Simple process, nothing tricky—yet the embedded heat refused to dissipate.
Sizzle.
The inhaled natural energy flowed through his meridians to his dantian.
It felt like pouring in boiling lava.
Is my dantian and meridians gonna melt?
"......"
He wanted to stop, but once it reached his dantian, no turning back.
Kim Sun-woo pushed the White Flow Heart Method to its limits, rapidly assimilating the energy to avoid internal damage.
Ugh.
He clenched his teeth against the searing heat in his lower abdomen.
One slip, and his dantian would cook—pure terror chilled his spine.
He circulated the fireball-like energy via the White Flow Heart Method.
After the process, the heated energy transformed into the pure inner energy of the White Flow Heart Method he knew.
...So where'd the leftover heat go?
Hiss.
Han Su-ah, standing guard, leaned on her staff and watched Kim Sun-woo's face—until white steam suddenly rose from his body, startling her.
"Huh? Whoa?! T-Team Leader! This normal?!"
"...Should be fine. Happens sometimes during energy circulation, from what I hear."
Robert, knowledgeable in martial arts, nodded calmly.
A guy who'd soloed a Red Drake like that? Weird changes weren't surprising.
Not just team leader material—Mugung's elite raid squad would suit him fine.
A gathering of superhumans hitting A- and B-ranks. He'd fit right in, syncing perfectly.
Moments later, Kim Sun-woo opened his eyes.
Exhaling hot breath, he stood briskly and checked his body.
"So that's how it vented."
"Oppa, you okay?"
"Yeah. All good."
Kim Sun-woo nodded, eyeing the faint steam wisping off his skin.
He pondered briefly, then bent to pick up a nearby pebble from the ground.
Slowly gathering energy and recalling the sensation...
Fwoosh!
A crimson flame erupted over his hand, incinerating the pebble.
"......!"
Kim Sun-woo's eyes widened.
Is this the Samadhi True Fire?
No, feels a bit different.
He brushed off the ash and removed the artifact necklace from his neck.
Blazing Peak's heat had vanished post-circulation.
Even with the artifact, it'd been sweltering—now it felt like a cool back mountain breeze.
"......"
No change even without it.
Lava flows nearby shimmered with heat haze—yet he felt refreshingly cool.
One hypothesis clicked in his mind.
"Su-ah. Can your ability regenerate lost body parts?"
"Limbs are tough. Better at suturing than full regen."
"What about a finger joint?"
"Hmm, yeah, doable."
"...Good."
Kim Sun-woo nodded and headed to a vein of flowing lava.
"Oppa?"
Han Su-ah hesitated at his sudden shift in demeanor but followed cautiously.
At the cascading lava stream, Kim Sun-woo swallowed hard, rolled up his sleeve, and boldly dipped his fingertip in.
"...Oppa?!!!!"
Shocked by the mad act, Han Su-ah lunged forward.
Dip your finger in lava?
It'd melt on contact, the burn spreading up his hand.
Might need to amputate and regenerate to avoid complications...
Splash.
But the finger emerging from the lava was just faintly red, like a mild hot-water scald.
"Huh?"
Han Su-ah's eyes went wide at the impossible sight.