15. Death Sorcerer's Dungeon
They had finally reached the end of the dungeon. Ian and his party stood before the chamber housing the final boss monster.
Along the way, they'd collected dozens of magic stones from nearby foes—most of them hefty enough to fetch at least five gold coins apiece, with the smallest being no slouch. The largest was nearly the size of an adult man's fist, and Ian's Conductor ability had reacted to it, flashing a message window before his eyes. They'd debated keeping it to strengthen his powers instead of selling...
"Nah, we've still got plenty in reserve. Let's just sell it."
"But husband..."
"Cheong-ah, you've been stressing about money lately. Selling that should ease things up, right?"
Despite his own earlier suggestion, they decided to sell the stone. Cheong-ah's face lit up so obviously that everyone knew but her—it was an open secret.
"Alright, time for the finale. Let's wrap this up and get out."
After a brief rest, they reactivated their buffs. Ian took the lead toward the massive stone door. At its center gleamed a red gem, surrounded by a large handprint indentation that screamed place your hand here.
"Opening it."
Ian pressed his palm against it. With a deep, rumbling KUGUGUGUNG—the door slowly rose. The cave shook like an earthquake, showering them with ancient dust from the ceiling.
Bella charged in first, greatsword ready. Dina and Cheong-ah followed, with Ian bringing up the rear.
"...Ugh, what the hell is this?"
"Fuck, this is some real shit. What kind of twisted fuck designed this?"
"Ugh... This feels so wrong. My feet are sticking to everything."
"It's making me nauseous."
The moment they entered, everyone's brows furrowed in unison, disgust plain on their faces. The room was grotesquely nightmarish, stirring primal revulsion from the depths of their instincts.
Squishy walls and floors made of writhing flesh. The ceiling was a tangled mess of what looked like entrails, dripping blood steadily onto the floor below. Puddles of the stuff had formed everywhere. And the stench—rotting blood mixed with putrid meat wafting from all sides. Even a shallow breath threatened to induce vomiting.
Curses spilled out involuntarily.
"...Fuck. Huh?"
Ian's gaze, mid-curse, caught something odd at the far wall: a bloodied human shape hanging there. Its flesh was slashed thin like with a scalpel, teeth and nails ripped out, blood pouring nonstop. Only garbled "Ugh... uuuugh..." escaped its mouth.
Up close, the fingertips and toes weren't just missing nails—they were gruesomely shredded, as if ground away. Its tongue was gone too. On the left chest, where the heart should be, a fresh-carved pentagram-like magic circle oozed blood.
Ian's brow twisted again. This room's interior design is pure shit.
Yet something about it felt familiar, like someone he'd seen recently...
The thought clicked: the Silver-rank adventurer named Durop.
"No way, right?"
"What is it, husband?"
"Nah, it's just... that thing over there."
"...Ugh."
"Sorry you had to see that creep."
Cheong-ah followed his pointing finger, grimacing in disgust before turning back to him.
"It's fine. So why bring it up?"
"It kinda looks like someone. You know, the guy who groped you at the guild and got slashed? Ring any bells?"
Cheong-ah tilted her head, clueless.
"Hmm, who knows? I don't make a habit of memorizing randos' faces... But nah, couldn't be. Why would that idiot be here?"
"Yeah, fair point."
Why would he? This was a dungeon that had forced even a Gold-rank party to flee. No moron would tail them here for revenge and get monster chow.
So what the hell was it? As Ian puzzled, their eyes met.
-Kill... me...
The garbled groans were just "uuuugh", but the lips clearly formed those words. Pleading eyes begging for mercy.
Ian wordlessly raised his crossbow, aimed, and twang—the bolt pierced its forehead dead-center.
"Guhk..."
It died instantly, pain-free. Then—
KUGUGUGUGU...
The space crumbled rapidly. Flesh, entrails, and blood from walls, ceiling, and floor surged toward the fresh corpse Ian had just shot.
Clumping onto it grotesquely, far more horrific—several times larger and more monstrous than any Flesh Abomination the Evil Spirit Sorcerers had summoned on the way...
Wriggle—wriggle—
Towering like a four-story building. Dozens of faces, dozens of arms on a massive body. Two pillar-like legs supported it. The lumped flesh monster splashed down with a thud, then thrashed its arms to rise.
"What the fuck is that thing...?"
"A Flesh Abomination, Yeonja."
Dina's low murmur.
"How? It's nothing like the ones we've seen!"
"This one's summoned by a Death Sorcerer, not an Evil Spirit Sorcerer. Naturally, it's on another level."
Death Sorcerer. A lich—an undead fallen archmage—master of advanced death magic. The massive undead flesh lump reeked of its vile sorcery. A repulsive, nauseating abomination of countless scraps and guts.
It unleashed a colossal roar.
-GHUAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!!!!
Dozens of eyes on its body locked onto Ian.
It charged, stomping toward him. Thankfully, its speed didn't match its size. Still, the thunderous thuds chilled the heart.
Bella met the hefty charge first, greatsword leading.
"Stop right there, you lump of shit...!"
Thick mana poured from her body, blazing red as it enveloped her. Her horizontal slash cleaved the flesh leg effortlessly.
Dozens of mouths screamed in agony. -GWHAAA!!
The body toppled forward. But flesh erupted from the stump, reattaching and regenerating in seconds.
Bella yelled in shock. "What the—?!"
Dozens of fists swung at her. Dina shot in, kicking Bella's back.
"Get it together!"
Bella tumbled forward, dodging the blows. Dina backflipped off the recoil, landing lightly with a tap-tap.
"Grr, that hurt...! You damn brat! I could've blocked it—why kick?!"
"Hmph, saved your hide and you complain."
The abomination struggled to free its embedded arms.
"That thing regenerates endlessly no matter how you slice it. To kill it, destroy its core—the central nexus. In that corpse Yeonja just shot, right in the heart."
"Core? Ugh... More hassle."
Bella grumbled. Cheong-ah sidled up.
"I'll help too."
"Huh? What about Yeonja, you prickly girl...?"
"No worries. Husband's already hidden."
"Eh?"
As Cheong-ah said, Ian had encircled himself with magic tools—presence blockers and defenses, done so flawlessly even Dina's sharp senses struggled to pinpoint him.
"That's solid enough."
Dina nodded. As an undead, the abomination was blunt and vulnerable to senses. With those precautions, Ian should be safe barring disaster.
With that, Dina slowly drew up the mana within her body.