The Carrier's Deadly Lure
The barrier shook violently but held firm. The three tankers were pushed back only about a meter, still maintaining their defense skills.
"Attacking time—three, two, one, zero!"
Buffer Lee Seung-jin shouted.
The moment "zero" hit, the defensive skills deactivated.
The two dealers, Yoo Min-jeong and Baek Seung-tae, unleashed a barrage of magic arrows.
Red and black arrows slammed into Wilexi Rex's body, igniting in flames, while the tankers reformed their barrier.
Wilexi Rex screamed in agony but didn't retreat or fall. Its twisted face snarling, it charged and headbutted the barrier.
The tankers were shoved back again.
The dealers, buffers, and carrier fell back in sync with the tankers. One wrong move, and they'd be flung outside the barrier—easy prey for that ferocious monster.
Even in this virtual space test, no one wanted to be torn apart by those razor-sharp fangs.
"Buffers, check!"
It was An Seong-ho.
Lee Seung-jin cast Gazing. It was an intermediate spell that revealed a monster's remaining life force.
A wave-like energy extended from Lee Seung-jin's hand, burrowing into Wilexi Rex. His eyes widened. He glanced at An Seong-ho but couldn't bring himself to speak.
"Lee Seung-jin!"
An Seong-ho again.
"...It's at 100%."
"What?"
"No damage at all."
"Impossible."
Yoo Min-jeong frowned, glancing between Wilexi Rex and Lee Seung-jin. She had clearly seen her flaming arrows embed in the massive monster's flank.
"Attacking time! Ten seconds!"
An Seong-ho yelled.
Yoo Min-jeong and Baek Seung-tae prepared their strikes. The moment the barrier dropped, the two dealers poured everything they had into their magic.
A moment later, Lee Seung-jin cast Gazing again to check Wilexi Rex's life force. His face darkened as he shook his head at An Seong-ho.
"That can't be right. You sure you checked properly?"
An Seong-ho glared, eyes bulging.
That's when Kim Jun sidled up to Yoo Min-jeong and whispered.
"Maybe that monster's life force is way higher than we think."
It was a solid point. Yoo Min-jeong nodded, and Kim Jun slipped back to his spot before anyone else noticed. Only one person saw it: Joo Hyeon-cheol.
Yoo Min-jeong relayed the insight to An Seong-ho, who was pressuring Lee Seung-jin.
"Hmph. The Dungeon Association's screwing with us for sure. That bald bastard's work."
An Seong-ho scowled.
Lee Seung-jin sighed and returned to his spot beside Yeom Sang-taek.
"We keep attacking. No choice."
Yoo Min-jeong concluded.
An Seong-ho clenched his fists, trembling, but he knew she was right.
After eleven magic barrages, the monster's life force finally budged.
From 100% to 99%.
That meant over a thousand attacks to bring it down.
The three tankers were already at their limit.
Drenched in sweat, they blocked Wilexi Rex's assaults with their barriers, but they knew the shields would shatter soon.
Even with the two buffers' help magic propping them up, they couldn't last much longer.
The two dealers were exhausted too.
An Seong-ho looked at Yoo Min-jeong.
"We can't pass this test."
Yoo Min-jeong said nothing.
She thought the same. If not for the second test hanging over them, she might have said it first.
"I'm out."
An Seong-ho exchanged glances with his team.
No one objected to the team leader's call. They all knew there was no way to take down that powerhouse.
"See ya."
An Seong-ho vanished from the spot. He'd logged out voluntarily.
Tanker Baek Jang-woo and buffer Lee Seung-jin disappeared next.
Then, dealer Baek Seung-tae lunged at Kim Jun with blackened hands.
Expecting the ambush, Kim Jun dodged the death-infused strike, hoisted Baek Seung-tae like before, flipped him over his shoulder, then leaped and dropped onto his body.
Thud.
Crack.
Baek Seung-tae's arms snapped clean. He glared at Kim Jun and spat venom.
"You fucking dog, I'll kill you!"
Kim Jun silently gripped Baek Seung-tae's jaw with his right hand and the back of his head with his left, then twisted hard. Snap—neck vertebrae shattered, head lolling unnaturally.
The dead Baek Seung-tae faded and vanished.
"Whoa, that's military-grade."
Joo Hyeon-cheol, who'd stuck around till the end.
Yoo Min-jeong, Choi Muhyun, and Yeom Sang-taek gaped at Kim Jun.
"Saw it in a military docu. Tried it out—worked for real."
Kim Jun's excuse.
Joo Hyeon-cheol gave him a thumbs-up and logged out.
Then Kim Jun's eyes locked on Wilexi Rex.
"Snake formation, left turn, fast move!"
Kim Jun barked.
Even in the chaos, ingrained training kicked in. The team shifted fluidly, barely evading Wilexi Rex's charge.
The massive beast vanished into the darkness without slowing.
Yoo Min-jeong snapped to.
"Buffer, detect!"
"...Wilexi Rex at 35 meters, turning—charging this way!"
Yeom Sang-taek yelled.
"Tanker, can you block?"
Yoo Min-jeong asked.
"Two, three times maybe."
"Good. Buffers, help!"
At her command, Yeom Sang-taek moved behind Choi Muhyun and cast help magic.
Choi Muhyun summoned Geumgangbyeok.
The golden barrier halted the charging Wilexi Rex but hurled him back three meters from the impact.
Blood trickled from Choi Muhyun's mouth. Yeom Sang-taek paled from the shockwave.
At this rate, the next hit would shatter the barrier.
Desperate, Yoo Min-jeong racked her brain for a reversal, but no tricks came to mind.
An Seong-ho had been right.
The Dungeon Association had rigged it—no one could pass the second test.
'I can explain to the Crazy Buffer. Once she hears about the Association's bullshit, she'll understand.'
But it felt like excuse-making to justify running, and that sat wrong.
Yoo Min-jeong turned to Kim Jun.
She wondered what he was doing. Would he give up even now? Or was despair on that face too?
Kim Jun stared into the darkness—at the charging Wilexi Rex. An unbreakable intensity radiated from him.
'He's still searching for an answer. While I'm just making excuses.'
Then Wilexi Rex burst from the dark again.
Choi Muhyun poured everything into reinforcing Geumgangbyeok, but the collision sent him flying five meters. This time, he couldn't even move—something was busted.
Yoo Min-jeong unleashed a volley of fire arrows, forcing Wilexi Rex back into the shadows.
Right then, Kim Jun's eyes gleamed.
"Buffer, expand detection—check for other monsters."
He commanded like a team leader.
"O-okay."
Yeom Sang-taek closed his eyes and pushed his limits.
Yoo Min-jeong didn't stop him. Maybe Kim Jun had found something.
"Monsters clustered at 60 meters. Circling nearby. Can't tell what."
Yeom Sang-taek gasped.
"Sorry, but stick a light orb on me."
"I'll do it."
Yoo Min-jeong stepped up, attaching the glow to Kim Jun.
Kim Jun met her gaze.
Yoo Min-jeong looked into his eyes.
"Wish me luck."
Impulsively, Yoo Min-jeong pulled him into a hug.
"Good luck."
Realizing what she'd done, she stumbled back.
Kim Jun, digger in hand, was already bolting into the dark.
Now, burst speed mattered more than endurance. Kim Jun exploded into motion, arms and legs pumping. Limits hit fast; his mouth gaped for air.
He shattered the first wall before 20 meters, accelerating further.
'There it is again—that sensation. Not just ahead, but behind, sides too.'
Kim Jun circled toward Wilexi Rex.
The tiny light orb barely lit around him; chills ran down his spine not knowing when it'd strike. But he trusted the eerie sense and charged ahead.
He felt it.
Vividly.
Even the lifting foot.
Side-stepping, a massive foot slammed the spot.
Kim Jun drove his digger deep into its ankle.
From analyzing 700 raid videos, he knew the Wilexi-saurus's ankle weak spot—behind it. Wilexi Rex shared the vulnerability; spot on.
Wilexi Rex bellowed like thunder.
Now it'd ignore Yoo Min-jeong, Yeom Sang-taek, and Choi Muhyun to crush him.
Kim Jun ran for real.
Wilexi Rex was far faster than regular monsters. It closed in quick; distance under five meters.
'Faster!'
Kim Jun ignored his bursting lungs, the searing agony in his limbs.
Then, cool energy surged through him.
Second limit broken.
Wind at his back, like flying on it.
The sense sharpened, detecting far off like a veteran buffer.
Ahead: the monster pack Yeom Sang-taek found. Kim Jun sprinted all-out.
Thud.
Too fast to stop. He crashed into a Wilexi-saurus leg, toppling one.
Dozens more clustered there.
Then Wilexi Rex appeared.
The startled pack swarmed the giant, tearing in. Wilexi Rex chomped one and hurled it into the dark, but the rest overwhelmed it.
Kim Jun dove between its legs in the frenzy, twisting the digger deeper into the ankle wound.
Hot blood gushed, soaking him.
Some flooded his mouth; no time to spit—Kim Jun swallowed.
The fight dragged.
A war of attrition. Until one side bled out or collapsed.
Wilexi Rex fled into the dark, pack in pursuit like hyenas on a lion. Kim Jun harried its ankle like one of them.
Finally, Wilexi Rex slowed.
Digger gripped, Kim Jun climbed its tail to back, shoulder, crown.
At the center—human equivalent of the crown point—he stabbed like an Everest climber planting a flag.
Squelch.
Two-thirds buried.
Its huge eyes rolled back.
Final spasms wracked it.
Kim Jun nearly fell from the quake but clung to the digger.
Wilexi Rex thrashed left, right.
The pack backed off from the dying giant—avoiding the crush.
It tilted slowly.
BOOM!
The roar echoed everywhere.
Kim Jun rose. The digger had anchored him.
The pack approached slowly.
Yanking the digger free, Kim Jun steadied his breath, bracing for round two.
As one lunged, fire arrows pierced its throat from the dark. It blazed; the rest fled.
Kim Jun collapsed, digger clutched.
Yoo Min-jeong, Choi Muhyun, and Yeom Sang-taek rushed up.
Yoo Min-jeong stared speechless at the dead Wilexi Rex. Choi Muhyun couldn't close his mouth.
Yeom Sang-taek ignored it, kneeling by Kim Jun to cast healing magic.
"...Thanks."
"You're the universe's strongest carrier."
"Took you long enough?"
Kim Jun managed a grin.