A Fair Trade
The fifth wave.
Under normal circumstances, it should have been the final wave, ending with five hundred monsters.
But.
The obelisk remained completely undamaged up to the fifth wave.
And the fifth wave had been reached in record time.
With all of these factors overlapping...
The hidden condition had been met.
Rumble...
Something that had never appeared in a defense map before.
A boss.
Had arrived.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
In a world where time seemed to have ground to a halt.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
I was the only one moving.
Slash!
One down.
Another down before the first could even hit the ground.
It was a piece of cake.
No, it was like eating cotton candy.
They just melted away.
If I had one complaint, though...
It was starting to get boring.
Sure, there were a lot of them, but that was it.
This was even less exciting than fighting the ratmen.
Ah.
The Hide-and-Seek Map from before.
Killing the Sullae there had actually been fun.
Running away, hiding, putting in real effort.
There was a thrill to the hunt, a satisfaction in landing a blow.
But these zombies?
It felt like hitting training dummies.
Slash, slash, slash!
Maybe it felt even more tedious because of my Killing Time skill.
Of course, that was just my perspective.
The rest of my party was singing a different tune.
I paused for a moment to check on the other three.
"Are you guys okay?"
"Whew, *pant*... I can... hold on..."
They didn't look good.
Well, it made sense.
After all, we were all only in our level tens.
If a standard defense map threw about a thousand zombies at you...
We were currently dealing with twice that amount.
If it weren't for the achievements I'd unlocked and the Ring of Vampirism, I would have run out of steam long ago.
Will it end once we kill all two thousand?
This was starting to feel like writing lines in detention.
Let's hit the two thousand mark first.
And if that didn't work?
I'd just have to wait out the timer.
*Clack!*
The moment I gripped my loose hilt again—
Rumble...
Far off, across the bridge, something began to surge upward.
The Plague King reveals itself.
Huh?
The Plague King?
"I thought this map didn't have a boss monster?"
"It... shouldn't have," Cha Yerin stammered.
She looked completely flustered.
And for good reason.
The light of the mana stone embedded in her hammer was fading.
The charged energy was almost entirely depleted.
Which meant, practically speaking, I was the only combat-ready force left.
A shiver ran down my spine.
Goosebumps broke out.
Was I scared?
No.
Finally, some real fun.
The mindless writing of lines was finally over!
"Hunter Cha."
I glanced at Cha Yerin, or more specifically, at her hammer.
"About your hammer..."
"Yes?"
"Do you mind if I borrow it for a bit?"
"B-Borrow it?"
"Yeah. My sword is in pretty bad shape..."
Cha Yerin stared at me, her face pale.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't expect this and used up all its energy... It won't be of much use."
Indeed, the mana stone in the hammer had lost almost all of its luster.
But.
That didn't matter.
I didn't need the vibration shield anyway.
"It's fine."
"What? It's fine...?"
"Well then, I'm borrowing it for a second."
I took Cha Yerin's hammer in my hands.
The hammer was only slightly shorter than Cha Yerin herself.
It was incredibly heavy.
To think she had the strength to swing this thing around.
Cha Yerin really was impressive.
Honestly, blunt weapons like this weren't really my style.
Even during my trainee days, two-handed weapons like hammers, axes, and clubs never felt quite right in my hands.
Dual-wielding felt much better.
Or just a single, clean sword.
"Hmm."
Oh well.
This was the only usable weapon I had right now.
"Hunter Yoo."
"Uh, yes? What?"
"Please heal Hunter Cha and Hunter Kang."
"Huh? B-But what about you, Taepyeong...!"
"I'm fine."
I casually showed him the hand wearing the Ring of Vampirism.
"Carried by my gear."
"..."
Besides.
I hadn't taken a single point of damage from the zombies.
There was nothing to heal.
But the other three looked completely exhausted.
"Well, I'll be back."
Kang Dakyung looked like she wanted to say something, but I didn't wait.
I dashed straight toward the bridge.
On the way, I took down one, two, three zombies.
*Splat!*
I sliced their necks to build up my momentum.
*Whoosh!*
Then, I leaped into the air.
The "Plague King" or whatever it was called.
It had a grand name.
But as I got closer...
Just like the Sullae in the Hide-and-Seek Map.
It wasn't a single entity.
It was a massive swarm, a collective entity formed by the melting, fusing flesh of countless zombies.
A grotesque hive mind of rotting meat.
"Ugh, disgusting."
Absorbing the corpses of the zombies I had already slain, the Plague King grew larger and larger.
It swelled to an immense size.
*Bubble.*
*Bubble.*
*Bubble.*
As it seethed and boiled...
Something inside me began to boil over as well.
A strange sensation bubbled up.
"Whew..."
Was it disgust?
No.
It was different.
Disgusting things that reject death...
It was scorn.
I will kill you as many times as it takes.
It was loathing.
Die.
Die.
Die.
A voice I had heard once before echoed in my mind, coloring my thoughts.
It took over my consciousness.
And in that moment—
*CRACK!*
I swung the hammer in a trance.
*Thwack!*
*Smash!*
Hundreds of tangled zombie heads...
*Pop! Pop! Pop!*
...burst apart in rapid succession.
How should I put it?
It felt like squishing rotten blueberries.
*Crunch!*
*Splat!*
*Thud!*
The Plague King, or whatever it was, was being torn apart before it could even form a proper body.
Its mass exploded in every direction.
*Groooan...*
Was that a scream?
Or just the sound of escaping gas?
Well, I didn't care.
All that mattered was turning it into mush.
*Smash!*
*Crunch!*
*Splat!*
*Rip!*
*Squish!*
The sounds grew increasingly wet.
Indeed.
I wasn't just breaking them anymore.
I was pureeing them.
*Squish! Squish! Squish!*
Mash.
Mash.
And mash again.
Slowly, the "core" began to reveal itself.
As the pulverized zombie flesh sloughed off...
*Hummm...*
...a glowing, neon-green skull appeared in the center.
There it is.
The mangled flesh tried to crawl back to cover it.
*BAM!*
But it was futile.
The speed of its regeneration...
...couldn't keep up with the speed of my destruction.
That achievement is already paying off.
The Undead Slayer achievement I had just unlocked.
A timely boost that granted a 50% increase to critical hit rate against undead.
I hadn't expected to put it to use so soon.
*Slither!*
*Plop!*
*Slither!*
*Plop!*
In truth, this was...
...closer to a one-sided slaughter.
Blueberries bursting under my hammer...
No, zombies.
And the green skull slowly being laid bare.
*Hummm!*
The green skull, still clinging to bits of rotting flesh, stared at me.
In that instant.
Another shiver ran down my spine.
Not because I was scared...
...but because...
Wow, the real fun is about to start!
That was the feeling.
The exact feeling you get at the very peak of a roller coaster...
...right before it plunges down!
Pure thrill!
*Whoosh!*
I raised the hammer high.
*Vrrr...*
The hammer vibrated, as if begging me to stop.
As if pleading to be returned to its rightful owner.
It trembled in my grip.
Yeah, yeah.
Just one more hit.
Then I'll give you back to your master.
I grinned, staring down at the glowing skull.
"Valued customer!"
Before the zombie corpses could reform and cover the skull again...
...I jumped straight into the swamp of rotting flesh!
Zombies lunged at me from all sides.
*Thwack!*
*Smash!*
I brushed them off with light swings of the hammer.
"Here is the blueberry smoothie you ordered!"
*CRACK!*
With a satisfying crunch...
...cracks began to spiderweb across the skull.
It was fracturing.
*Crack! Shatter!*
The hammer vibrated violently.
The skull rattled and shook in resistance.
*Screeech...!*
A bizarre sound echoed as green gas began to leak from the skull's mouth.
Uh-oh.
Should I dodge this?
*FLASH!*
But before I could react...
...the skull detonated.
*BOOM!*
As the skull shattered into pieces, the surrounding corpses began to explode in a chain reaction.
They popped like firecrackers.
"Ugh, gross!"
Okay, this was too much!
Blegh!
Gross, gross, gross!
*Splat! Splat!*
Fortunately...
*Hummm!*
...the tiny shred of energy left in the hammer emitted a shockwave.
A barrier formed just in time.
"Phew..."
I almost got drenched in blueberry smoothie.
"Taepyeong!"
A voice called out to me from the distance.
"Run! Run!"
Run?
I looked around.
The ground beyond the bridge was collapsing.
"Oh, crap!"
Seriously?
There were no more zombies left to kill, which meant I had to run at my own normal speed!
I grabbed the hammer and sprinted for my life.
The moment I barely crossed the bridge—
*CRASH!*
...the entire structure crumbled into the abyss.
"Are you okay?"
Yoo Inseok helped me up.
"Yeah... *pant*... I'm fine..."
"Let me heal you."
*Glow...*
The scraped skin on my palm from the fall healed instantly.
"Oh, wow!"
So this is why people party up!
Healing is amazing!
I stared at my clean palm, then looked up.
The obelisk stood tall, completely unscathed.
And then...
*Flash!*
A bright light flashed before my eyes.
Rewards are being distributed.
"Oh, whoa!"
Yoo Inseok gasped.
"A-A Gold Box!"
"Oh my god, I got a Gold Box too!"
"I... I got a Gold Box as well," Cha Yerin said.
It seemed everyone had received a Gold Box.
They each held a glittering golden chest.
Judging by their reactions...
...Bronze or Silver boxes were the norm for this stage.
Slaughtering two thousand zombies...
...and defeating the Plague King must have boosted the reward quality.
What a massive win!
*Catch!*
I caught the box falling from the light.
"Huh?"
There was no golden glow.
Instead, it was a translucent, colorless chest.
This was...
"D-Diamond!" Yoo Inseok shrieked.
He screamed before I could even process it.
Yoo Inseok collapsed to the ground.
"I can't believe I'm seeing a Diamond Box in real life..."
And Kang Dakyung nodded with a solemn expression.
"With Taepyeong's skills, a Diamond Box is only natural. Honestly, even Diamond feels like an understatement."
"How much would that sell for?"
"Is money really the issue here? It might contain an item that money can't even buy..."
My heart fluttered.
In that case, I really hoped it was a weapon!
"What did you guys get?"
I asked casually.
Their rewards were actually quite decent.
Kang Dakyung got a special pickaxe.
Yoo Inseok got a defense-boosting bracelet.
Cha Yerin got a dagger with a paralysis attribute.
"Hunter Cha, let me borrow some of your luck!"
"Hahaha..."
Please, let it be a weapon!
"Hurry up and open it."
"Alright!"
*Click.*
I opened the box...
"Huh?"
◈ Effect: Complete recovery from all damage, injuries, and diseases.
Inside a translucent glass bottle sloshed a golden liquid.
Wasn't the Elixir an item that only dropped on the higher floors?
Ah.
Well, I suppose.
A Diamond Box itself was something you could normally only get on the higher floors.
"A-An Elixir...!"
"That drops here?"
The party members gasped in awe.
But the one who looked the most shocked was none other than Cha Yerin.
It was no exaggeration to say she was raiding dungeons solely to find an Elixir.
Her eyes were glued to the bottle in my hand.
"Hmm..."
I stared at the shimmering golden liquid for a moment.
"Hunter Cha."
"Yes?"
"Want to trade?"
"What???"
I held the Elixir out to her.
"I wanted to give you something in return for borrowing your hammer, so this works out perfectly."
"B-But this is...!"
"Right. It's a bit too much, isn't it? That's why I'm saying we should trade."
Cha Yerin covered her mouth in shock.
"Are we trading or not?"
"But still..."
"Look, I really need a weapon."
I snatched the paralyzing dagger from her hand.
And as I handed her the Elixir...
"Thank you so much. Taepyeong, thank you so, so much."
Tears began to stream down her face.
Leaving the sobbing Cha Yerin behind...
Sweet, I got a weapon!
I grinned from ear to ear.