EP3. The S-Rank Hunter's Outing
Clang—
It was an attack power completely unlike any of the skeletons they'd faced so far.
"Krak!"
Dengchi's body was pushed back hard, leaving footprints gouged into the floor.
He barely managed to raise his shield, but from his twisted expression, it was clear he wouldn't hold out much longer.
"Everyone, attack!"
The melee dealers charged at the Skeleton Knight with their weapons drawn.
It was to buy Dengchi even a little time.
And from range, a barrage of attack skills rained down.
Clang!
Cclang!
"Slash!"
"Strike!"
"Ice Bolt!"
Various skills hammered against the Skeleton Knight's armor.
Krrrarrr.
Each time it took a hit, the Skeleton Knight was shoved backward.
But most of the attacks only left scratches on the armor, with no real effect.
"...Damn it!
Why the hell is the boss monster here now?!"
The Skeleton Knight appearing without any preparation was fatal for them.
Unlike Jae-jun, who had infinite mana, they needed rest and mana recovery.
Most of them were already out of mana.
"Fireball!"
Mage dealer Jeong-hwan seized the opening created by the others buying time and cast Fireball.
Its long chant was a drawback, but the damage made it Jeong-hwan's ace skill.
BOOM!
Whoosh!
The fireball struck the Skeleton Knight's chest and exploded.
It was a powerful blast that swept away all the surrounding black smoke.
After the explosion, red flames enveloped the Skeleton Knight's armor, burning hot.
"Nice!"
"Did we get it?"
Jeong-hwan, panting from mana exhaustion in the back, eyed the Skeleton Knight.
But the Skeleton Knight showed no damage whatsoever.
Not even from the explosion.
"Elemental resistance!
Damn it.
We need physical attacks!"
Jeong-hwan spat out the words.
The physical dealers heard him and rushed the Skeleton Knight all at once.
"Smash!"
"Charging!"
A thick axe came crashing down on the Skeleton Knight's head, while a sharp spear pierced its chest.
Krrrarrr.
"Dodge!"
Black energy gathered thickly around the Skeleton Knight's sword.
Then, in an instant, the sword expanded massively and surged forward.
Dengchi threw himself in front, shoving the dealers ahead of him aside and gripping his shield.
The sword, in the form of black smoky energy, flew straight at him, blotting out his vision.
'Damn.'
Dengchi gritted his teeth and clutched his shield tight.
All he could do was hope it would hold.
Clang!
Sparks flew from the shield as a deep sword mark engraved itself into it.
"Kraaaah!"
The Skeleton Knight's eye sockets blazed red as it let out a ferocious roar.
Clang—!
Clang—!
It pressed Dengchi even harder, swinging its sword relentlessly.
Dengchi's body swayed unsteadily.
His shield was already battered and broken in places.
"Hyungnim!"
Tae-seong shouted urgently from the side, looking desperately at Jae-jun.
'No choice.'
He'd planned to step in anyway, even without the look.
'Shadow Hand!'
Jae-jun's shadow stretched out once more toward the Skeleton Knight.
The Shadow Hand seized its torso firmly.
No matter how it thrashed, it couldn't escape the grasp.
'...About ogre level?'
In the meantime, Jae-jun assessed the Skeleton Knight.
Its speed was much faster, of course, but purely in terms of stats, it seemed comparable to an ogre.
Finishing his thoughts, Jae-jun tightened the Shadow Hand.
Kreeeak!
Krik!
The armor on the Skeleton Knight twisted and screamed.
"What the—?"
"E-everyone, fall back!"
The raid party members, baffled by the incomprehensible scene, retreated and watched.
Finally, the armor that had endured the pressure shattered and crumpled in the grip.
Crunch!
Jae-jun didn't release the Shadow Hand until the Skeleton Knight's skull shattered into pieces.
The bones ground into powder, emitting eerie sounds.
Craaunch!
"...Hah."
The Skeleton Knight collapsed into a pile of dust in an instant.
For something that had tormented the raid party until now, it was an anticlimactic end.
You have defeated the Skeleton Knight!
Unfortunately, no level up.
"Did we all get possessed by ghosts or something?"
The raid party members stood frozen, muttering to themselves.
But Dengchi, seeing the Shadow Hand for the second time, sighed in relief at surviving and plopped down on the ground.
Survival was what mattered, after all.
"Let's sit and rest first.
Break time!"
"Hyungnim, do you know what that was just now?"
"No clue.
Do we have to know?
Sometimes it's better not to.
Focus on recovery!"
The raid party members grumbled but were forced into rest.
"Hyungnim.
What's your rank?"
Tae-seong sidled up slyly and whispered.
"Why?"
"No way you're F-rank, no matter how you look at it."
"Then what rank do I look to you?"
"Hmm.
A-rank?"
Jae-jun chuckled.
"What about you?"
"I'm D-rank."
It might've seemed rude, but Tae-seong answered without hesitation.
Not a high rank, but not bad.
Considering his family situation, D-rank was enough to support his ailing mother without issue.
"And you, hyungnim?"
"Why do you need to know?"
Jae-jun teasingly turned away without answering.
Tae-seong's face puffed up in annoyance.
Dengchi had finished resting but sat sighing heavily.
Either he'd misjudged the rank, or the Hunter Association had measured it wrong—one of the two.
'No way this is C-grade.'
A boss monster like the Skeleton Knight had appeared as a mere field boss.
Imagining what the real boss might be was terrifying.
Hoo.
The other raid members knew it too.
Everyone's faces darkened—except for the two substitutes.
'Ignorance is bliss, huh.'
Still, they couldn't just sit there wallowing in negativity.
Dengchi stood quickly and shouted as forcefully as he could.
"Everyone up!
Let's take down the boss and finish this!"
The boss room was not far from where they'd felled the Skeleton Knight.
"Boss room."
A massive cavern loomed before the raid party.
It would've been nice to peer inside, but the thick demonic energy piling up made it impossible to discern anything.
"Jeong-hwan, can you check what's inside?"
"Hold on!"
Hunter Jeong-hwan walked right up to the cavern entrance.
"Life Detect!
Mana Detect!"
Two spells activated simultaneously.
One was life detection magic, the other mana detection.
The dense demonic energy interfered somewhat with the spells.
"Phew.
No life force inside.
But there's something in the center with enormous mana."
'No life force, but it has mana?'
A single thought flashed through everyone's minds.
'Undead mage?'
"...Lich or Skeleton Mage?
But given the level so far, probably a lich."
A lich was a black mage who had undeadified their body for immortality.
Liches were irascible and overwhelmingly powerful since they didn't die.
"Still, just one, so we can manage, right?"
"Yeah.
Like Jeong-hwan said, kill one and we're done—let's go!
Grab your holy items."
The raid party nodded and entered the boss room.
Demonic energy swirled thickly with every step.
'Over there.'
The moment they entered, something emitting crackling mana against their skin stood out.
Probably the lich Jeong-hwan mentioned.
The monster showed no reaction even as they approached.
But as they drew steadily closer to the boss, strange sounds began to echo.
Like children whining.
Or perhaps newborns crying.
"It hurrrts—saave$—"
"It hurrrts—save meee!"
The closer they got, the louder the sounds grew.
And soon, the boss monster came into clear view.
"What the fuck!"
Jae-jun cursed at the sight of the boss monster.
A shriveled body with ashen skin.
Black glow where eyes should be.
The floating figure was indeed a lich.
But that wasn't why Jae-jun swore.
The lich wore a massive necklace.
Countless skeleton skulls threaded onto a chain.
Clattering endlessly as if speaking.
The problem was that human heads were also strung on that chain.
And the human heads murmured ceaselessly, as if not yet dead.
Standing before the lich, Jae-jun heard the voices clearly.
"It hurts.
Please save meee."
"Save meee.
It hurts so muchhh."
The humans, reduced to heads, couldn't even die.
Thank you.