Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Undying Legion (1)
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Shhrrk!
Lee Seon-ah, who had come up to the third-floor meeting room, spread out the documents on the table.
"Here! This is the A-rank dungeon discovered recently in Geomdan, Incheon. Skeleton Lord. It's the first one in our country, and the third in the world."
At the same time, she pointed to one section of the documents with her finger.
"It's a dungeon type where you defend a city from falling to the Undying Legion."
Tap tap.
She tapped that spot a couple of times for emphasis.
"The truth is, there's one problem with this."
"What problem?"
I skimmed over the documents she had laid out and asked.
They seemed to be materials provided by the Heavenly Demon Divine Church.
'As expected of a major guild.'
I marveled inwardly.
All that densely packed information.
Stuff you'd never find on hunter boards or the internet, right?
"There's a gimmick midway through the dungeon that imposes a limit on the number of people and a restriction on unique abilities. So, the maximum participants are five! Plus one necromancer added."
"Ah, so that's it."
I nodded as if I understood.
For an A-rank dungeon, each guild manages them preciously.
No reason to show them to outsiders.
High-grade dungeons bring high-grade rewards.
That's why Gi So-yul had been interested in my rewards at first.
But they were recommending me for such a place?
There had to be a reason for it.
"You might think it's too much for someone who just hit B-rank, an A-rank dungeon..."
"It's fine. I'm not the type to turn down tough dungeons anyway. I've done a few S-rank and above."
I accepted coolly.
Whatever the dungeon was.
A dungeon run with rankers was still a 'stroke of luck' for me.
Lee Seon-ah, being world ranking 509th, meant endless things to learn.
'Plus.'
The old man had said it too.
- Heh heh, those A-rank hunters in this world?
- How can they compare your skills to those trashes? Don't you have any pride as my disciple?
- I don't know how this 'system' works, but I can say for sure.
- Your combat power has already surpassed A-rank by far.
What I needed was just one thing.
A justification to 'awaken.'
A justification to tell the system [Promote me to A-rank!]
And.
For that justification, nothing beat a high-grade dungeon.
"S-rank and above? Ahaha! Seeing you have the leisure to joke, looks like it's not something I need to worry about?"
Lee Seon-ah laughed, patting the black sword at her waist.
She seemed to think my sincerity was a funny joke.
Bittersweet.
In reality, 'judgment impossible' grade was higher difficulty than S-rank.
The difficulty of the Solar Spear and Giant Dragon.
"......"
I shook my head.
Even thinking back now, it was insanely tough.
I couldn't do it again if asked.
"Anyway! I like the confidence! Since you've approved, shall we head out today?"
"Today?"
"We don't have much time!"
"Yes, let's do that."
I'd slept plenty.
It felt a bit rushed, but.
I'm not one to fuss over that anyway, right?
"That was my hope too."
I nodded calmly.
* * *
Incheon Metropolitan City, Seo-gu.
On the central ridge of Todang Mountain in Geomdan New City.
Five geared-up hunters gathered.
"Before we go in. How about light self-introductions?"
Leader Lee Seon-ah smiled brightly.
Consideration for me, who was meeting the members for the first time.
"I'm Black Sword Squad Team Leader Lee Seon-ah. I wield a sword."
Shing!
She drew her signature, the black sword from her waist.
A clean sound like slicing air.
Its sharply honed edge seemed to proclaim her high level.
"Aren't all Black Sword Squad members swordsmen anyway? Haha!"
Next up was a burly man.
The aura he exuded was no ordinary thing either.
"I'm Black Sword Squad's vice captain... no, sub-team leader, Kang Ji-hoop. S-rank. Hobbies? Uh... reading some wuxia novels. Sword? Not as good as the team leader, but decent."
Kang Ji-hoop grinned, flashing white teeth.
Just from his expression and speech, I could guess his personality.
Behind him, two men and women bowed their heads.
"A-rank Black Sword Squad member, Kim Jin-soo. Nice to meet you."
"A-rank Black Sword Squad member, Kang Yu-jeong. Nice to meet you."
Very neat and disciplined!
I bowed my head in return.
"I'm a B-rank necromancer, came on Lee Seon-ah's recommendation."
Even though they were all higher rank than me, no need to cower.
Aside from them needing me.
'I'm no pushover either.'
I could definitely feel it.
My presence no longer yielded to A-rank squad members at least.
Rank was just an alphabet anyway.
At my demeanor, the sub-team leader burst into laughter.
"Uhahaha! What presence! No wonder the captain took an interest!"
"No need for that. Nice to meet you."
"Of course, no pressure. Our Black Sword Squad boasts a 100% dungeon clear rate."
The sub-team leader checked his gear one more time, then walked to the dungeon entrance.
Me and the other members followed, each with our expressions.
Finally.
Lee Seon-ah nodded.
"Alright, shall we go?"
* * *
[Entering the dungeon.]
I opened my eyes.
The familiar sharp sensation, and the scenery around me had changed.
Cold weather.
Crackling torches, and someone sobbing.
"Damn it, we're done for. How are we supposed to stop the Undying Legion with just human strength? How do you fight the undead?"
A man rubbing his chilled hands from the low temperature, sniffling.
He was a soldier of this.
Unknown city.
"We'll all die soon. The kids, wives, me... Damn, I still had so much I wanted to do......"
Hmm.
I watched the scene with curious eyes.
'It's just like...'
Yeah.
Like my proxy dungeons.
Beings from a new world.
"Amazing, right? Dungeons like this."
Lee Seon-ah approached from the side.
To me, who'd experienced all sorts of worlds, it wasn't that amazing, but I held my tongue.
"Higher-grade dungeons always have more complex missions. And the beings inside feel so lifelike."
"......I see."
"So I just think of them as NPCs. You know, like game NPCs."
"NPCs......"
I nodded.
It made sense; thinking that way might be easier.
'No one knows anyway.'
This world was still in the realm of the unknown.
No one had figured it out.
Why unique abilities appear.
Why dungeons form, and what the worlds inside them are.
'When you don't know, it's easiest to think in your own terms.'
Of course.
I knew.
I'd directly felt the emotions of the Solar Spear, Drimir, Eldrin, and the elder.
'They're not just NPCs.'
Not programmed beings.
They were truly alive.
Beings that think, grieve.
Living creatures with emotions.
"Hmm, the mission should drop soon."
As Lee Seon-ah murmured beside me.
[Stage 'Undying Legion' has arrived.]
"Oh, looks like it's here!"
The message signaling the mission start appeared.
[Ding!]
[Stage: Undying Legion]
[The 'Undying Legion' has set out from the Northern Cruel Zone and is invading the city.]
[Protect the pitiful city soldiers and stop the 'Undying Legion.']
[The soldiers here recognize you as fellow soldiers.]
Murmur murmur.
At that moment.
The surrounding soldiers began to stir.
"Over there!"
"Look there!"
Soldiers on the ramparts pointed outside the walls and shouted.
"It's the undead legion! The undead legion has finally come!"
"Ugh, uaaah."
People let out terrified groans.
Excitement, worry, fear.
All sorts of negative emotions infested the inside of the ramparts.
"Let's go."
I quickly climbed the ladder to the ramparts.
To see with my own eyes just how impressive this undead legion was.
"......"
A gloomy sky.
Drip drip!
Rain began to fall lightly.
"Up we go!"
I reached the high ramparts and immediately looked outside.
A vast plain.
Near the horizon, countless dots writhed and approached.
[Ghoul Legion sighted.]
"Grraa! Grra!"
Zombie-like monsters dropping rotten flesh.
[Specter Legion sighted.]
"Kiiieee!"
Even clusters of pitch-black ghosts.
"The power gap seems huge... This is A-rank, right?"
Just from the spectacle, it looked S-rank worthy.
My head started to ache.
But Lee Seon-ah just kept smiling for some reason.
"According to guild intel, that's just a portion."
"......Pardon?"
"Not even mid-tier undead yet, right? Death Knights and liches will show up soon."
Sigh.
Yeah, to a ranker, this was nothing.
'Alright.'
I gripped my staff.
Come to think of it, with a ranker on our team, what was there to worry about?
To an upper-tier S-rank hunter among S-ranks.
An A-rank dungeon was just a playground.
'But still.'
Something felt off.
Instinctive unease.
Because of the necromancer requirement?
Just as I felt a heavy responsibility.
"Oh, incoming!"
"The Undying Legion approaches! Prepare for battle! Close the ramparts and ready oil and fire!"
Pwaaa! Pwaa!
War horns blared, signaling the start.
"Skeleton Lord."
Lee Seon-ah called me.
"Yes?"
"No need to worry too much here. You'll need to step up later when the lich appears."
"Lich?"
"Yeah, that's when the gimmick triggers. A kind of curse. If no necromancer or more than six people, it adjusts to five?"
Ah.
So that's what it was.
Major guilds were convenient for sure.
This was the advantage of information.
Sharing or trading intel from clearing various dungeon types among major guilds.
A place like Heavenly Demon Divine Church probably knew missions and tips for most famous dungeons.
"The enemies have reached the ramparts!"
"Fire!"
"Block them! Stop them!"
Finally, battle began.
Soldiers from the high ground unleashed fierce attacks on the incoming ghouls and specters.
Some shot arrows, some hurled obstacles.
Fwoosh!
Even some used magic.
"You demons! Think we'll let you have your way!"
"Fight! Don't cower! We can win!"
"Hey, you there! Stop trembling in the corner! What you protect isn't just your body—it's your family!"
Generals stationed everywhere barked.
To prevent morale drop from fear, constant threats and encouragements.
"Alright, shall I get moving too?"
Shing!
Black Sword Lee Seon-ah drew her sword.
"Ooh, team leader stepping up personally? I could handle this with the troops alone."
The sub-team leader smiled leisurely.
To an S-rank hunter like him, specters and ghouls were mere post-meal snacks.
"Yeah, want to show it to the Skeleton Lord."
Step.
She walked to the rampart edge and coldly gazed down at the monsters ahead.
Her team members watched her, swords still sheathed.
"The power of the Black Sword."
Ranking 509th.
Black Sword Lee Seon-ah.
She lowered her sword.