Chapter 56
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: 9. Final Dungeon (4)
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The kids' expressions, which had grown a bit awkward for a moment, switched back to combat-ready mode.
It would take a little longer to reach the next section.
The light of the abyss flickered darkly across the floor.
That was when it happened.
A horrific wail echoed from the end of the passage.
All the kids froze in their tracks.
I instinctively gripped my potion-filled bag tighter.
"It's here."
Yoo Han-seong said in a low voice.
The wail reverberated through the entire passage.
It sounded like scrap metal had been gathered and twisted together.
The kids' shoulders tensed up in unison.
Yoo Han-seong raised his hand from the front and spoke.
"High chance it's a mutated variant.
Keep your distance and stick to your patterns."
Hyun Yi-seo gathered more mana at his fingertips.
A blue flame quietly swelled beneath his palm.
It was the distinctive color after the abyss awakening.
Yu-hee drew her dagger and said,
"That wail... It wasn't in the original data, right?"
"Nope."
Hae-sol replied.
"Either a new pattern or this dungeon's been altered."
I quietly caught my breath from the back, watching the kids.
This was the most dangerous moment.
The first wail.
The first appearance.
The first clash.
The potion bottles in my bag clinked softly against each other.
I instinctively reached in and pulled out two.
One antidote potion for abyss-type poison.
One stamina recovery potion.
I scanned for openings to toss them to the kids.
Yoo Han-seong said,
"Hari, stay back and don't come too far forward."
"Got it."
I replied curtly and stepped further back.
Dust erupted from the end of the passage like shattering stone.
Something rose up on four legs.
Twisted joints, impossible to tell if they were arms or legs, slammed into the wall.
The light of the abyss grazed its surface, revealing its outline.
Twice the height of a person.
A long, torn mouth.
No eyes, yet the wail swept the atmosphere like it could see.
Gong Seo-yoon sucked in a breath.
"This thing... It's way bigger than the official records."
"No frontal assaults when the pattern's unknown."
Yoo Han-seong said.
"Stick to your roles.
Yi-seo, conserve mana. Yu-hee, maintain your firing line.
Hae-sol, check the floor first."
In that brief moment,
the kids took their positions without needing orders.
Being a team was ingrained in them now.
From the back, watching them, a strange feeling washed over me for an instant.
Not anxiety, worry, or impatience,
something like... the way parents feel watching their kids' performance.
The kids have really... gotten so strong.
But there was no time for sentiment.
The monster moved.
All four legs slammed into the ground.
The floor shook.
Yu-hee reacted first.
"Left side!"
Hae-sol shouted,
"Floor vibration pattern's off—be careful!"
Hyun Yi-seo raised his hand high.
The blue flame climbed up his arm.
I gripped my bag again.
Ready to throw if needed.
The monster's mouth split open.
The second wail erupted.
The whole passage seemed to flip upside down from the echo.
Before the second wail even ended, the monster lunged.
Its speed was ridiculously fast.
All five scattered at once.
Each precisely in their assigned direction.
Yoo Han-seong counterattacked first.
His blade grazed the monster's front leg joint and dug in.
But it was tougher than expected.
The sound of the edge bouncing off rang through the passage.
"It's tough!"
Yoo Han-seong shouted briefly.
In that gap, Hae-sol instinctively probed the floor.
The floor pattern began twisting darkly.
A spot that would've swallowed their feet whole if they'd been even a second late.
"Jump!"
At Seo-yoon's voice, the shadows of the other four leaped upward simultaneously.
The floor split open pitch-black and red in an instant, the monster's wail seeping deep into the crevice.
Hyun Yi-seo compressed mana in midair.
The blue flame detached from his hand, tracing a path.
The explosion was drowned out by the monster's wail.
Gong Seo-yoon's flame embedded into the monster's back, sparks and ash flying.
'Gong Seo-yoon's not falling behind in movement either?'
What? Is she on the verge of S-rank too?
If so, that's way faster than in the original.
'Guess I should just see it as a good thing.'
Even amid that, the monster didn't fall.
Instead, it swelled even larger.
Yu-hee gritted her teeth and said,
"This one's... the type that doesn't dial down intensity. We have to end it in one go."
Yoo Han-seong landed, caught his breath, and charged toward the monster's head.
Meanwhile, Hyun Yi-seo was preparing his second attack.
As natural as if combat was his daily routine.
From the back, watching the scene, I gripped the potion bottle tighter.
At this rate, someone would get hurt soon.
I couldn't miss that moment.
The monster stomped the floor.
A massive vibration spread out.
It was impressive they hadn't lost their footing.
That was when it happened.
Yu-hee let out a short groan.
A red line appeared on her arm, grazed by the monster's attack.
I immediately pulled an antidote potion from my bag.
Abyss poison spreads in seconds.
I couldn't be late.
"Yu-hee!"
I shouted, and she turned her head.
I tossed the bottle precisely.
She caught it midair and drank immediately.
Her body glowed green.
The spreading poison halted, the mark fading.
"Thanks!"
Yu-hee shouted, breathing hard.
At the same time, Gong Seo-yoon's second flame completed.
The mana clashed with the abyss light, splitting blue.
Yoo Han-seong leaped back toward the monster's nape.
His sword and Gong Seo-yoon's flame pierced the core almost simultaneously.
Hyun Yi-seo followed with a blue whip, while Lee Hae-sol raised an ice barrier to shield Yu-hee and himself.
Kuuaaaah—
The monster writhed violently, then its wail cut off.
Its massive body crashed to the floor.
A chilling silence fell.
The kids' ragged breaths echoed.
I finally loosened my grip from the back.
The potion bottle was slick with sweat.
Yu-hee spoke first.
"That one was... seriously dangerous."
Hae-sol exhaled and replied,
"But us... we really pulled that off?"
Hyun Yi-seo glanced at Yoo Han-seong.
Their eyes met briefly.
An indescribable elation began to circulate.
And all five turned to look at me at almost the same time.
I flinched and waved my hands.
"W-Why are you looking at me..."
Yoo Han-seong said lowly,
"Hari. Your potions... are too strong."
What did he mean potions were strong?
Besides, this is being broadcast!
It seemed like a vague expression, but it was worse than saying nothing.
"Varied, too."
Meaning potions they'd never seen before.
I forced a smile.
"No, really. They're just... a bit overpowered because they're test batches."
But no one looked convinced.
The kids headed deeper into the passage again.
Even as they prepared to move to the next section, exchanging subtle glances.
I clutched my bag tight and followed from behind.
My heart was racing.
The downward slope of the passage stretched on.
Dampness from the floor crept up through my shoe soles.
Inhaling brought a faint metallic scent.
I kept rubbing the bag strap between my fingers.
Holding it eased my mind a little.
Even for the final dungeon, this section's difficulty wasn't meant for students.
It was the mid-phase with psychological assaults and mobile attacks hitting simultaneously.
In the original, everyone shook badly here.
One nearly lost consciousness, and the rest suffered mental aftereffects.
Yu-hee whispered softly,
"Hari. You okay right now?"
I couldn't say no right away.
Honestly, this environment was a bit much for F-rank stats. Even standing still drained stamina.
'If not for the parasite domain, I'd really be dead.'
My fingertips felt a little cold.
I played it off without showing it.
"The vibe's kinda weird, so it's unsettling. The passage air feels... oppressive."
Hae-sol nodded from behind.
"Patterns are changing. Feels different from before."
Hyun Yi-seo walked staring straight ahead.
His post-awakening sharpened senses had probably picked up the flow first.
The air currents spreading in the darkness quivered slightly.
"Gonna have to train like hell when we get back."
Gong Seo-yoon muttered in an uncharacteristically subdued voice.
Yoo Han-seong raised his hand.
We all stopped at once.
He stared at the end of the passage and said lowly,
"Sound. Something inhaling deeply."
A chill ran down my spine.
It was the first sign from the original.
My heart pounded fiercely for an instant.
I opened my bag, gripping a mental stability potion ready to pull out.
A wide-area type with a strong scent.
Thinking it'd be fine, I pressed the bottle with my finger once more.
Yoo Han-seong whispered,
"Maintain distance. Speak up if your vision shakes."
All four nodded.
Their faces mixed familiarity and tension.
We descended a bit further, and the passage widened.
Thin water pooled on the floor.
The ripples trembled ever so faintly.
A sensation like something crawling in the darkness.
And then the wail sounded.
A human-like cry, yet desperately animalistic.
The mid-boss wail of the final dungeon.
Hyun Yi-seo said lowly,
"...It's coming."
My hand trembled faintly.