Obtaining the Unique Skill

"Um... I'm fine now..." Bae Jua said, her face flushed as she waved her hands. She'd only been trying to help, but it seemed to have embarrassed her quite a bit. Still, the ones who reacted even more strongly than Bae Jua were No Hayun and Yeom Tae-seok. Since I hadn't applied any buffs to either of them until now, their surprise was only natural.

······!!

Both turned toward me at the same time, but I pretended not to notice and simply continued swinging my sword. I was just a monster, after all, so they should direct their questions elsewhere. As if they'd read my mind, they immediately bombarded Ham Eun-yeong with questions about the buff.

Once she'd given them a satisfactory answer, No Hayun's eyes blazed with fire as she stared straight at me. That gaze carried an intense desire to obtain something. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was clear she intended to gain some kind of advantage from me.

'Even so, stop giving a monster that kind of look... Yeon-hee will scold you if you keep it up.'

Kwaaaang—!

At that moment, a powerful explosion erupted nearby, cleanly severing a hunter's right arm. It was a Bone Dancer's self-destruction. Judging by the hunter's expression, he was deeply blaming himself for the mistake.

"Kugh...! Damn it...! I thought I dodged it."

'As expected, I need to be careful with that.'

The hunter had clearly believed he'd avoided it, but a Bone Dancer's self-destruction could cause fatal injuries even with the slightest contact to its range. It was strange when you thought about it. How could top-tier D-grade hunters, who had clawed their way up through countless battles, misread an attack's range? In the end, skills that required self-sacrifice possessed a power that transcended perception, which meant we had to respond far more conservatively.

"When it explodes, assume you need at least one more meter of distance!" Yeom Tae-seok instructed everyone to fight while maintaining greater separation. However, with so many close-range fighters among the hunters, it wasn't an easy order to follow.

- Yes!

- Understood!

Even so, the hunters on the battlefield reacted instantly to Yeom Tae-seok's command. He showed no awkwardness in giving orders to others; that must have been what experience looked like.

"Aura of Devotion—!"

Yeom Tae-seok's wide-area support skill gently enveloped the surrounding hunters, granting immunity to [Stagnation], [Fear], and [Paralysis]. Immunity to three status ailments at once... It was an impressive ability. The hunters' gazes toward him were filled with something close to respect. Even though many here possessed higher combat power than Yeom Tae-seok, the atmosphere made it so.

Ham Eun-yeong sang diligently, boosting morale and recovering the mental fatigue that Yeom Tae-seok's skill couldn't cover. Bae Jua and A-rin's contributions remained steady as always, and even the Orc mage seemed to be gradually growing accustomed to earth-attribute magic. Hmm... still at the level of playing with dirt. Yet the one displaying the most overwhelming presence was, as expected, No Hayun.

Swoooooosh──

A freezing aura began to swirl around her like a storm.

'That's...'

If my memory was correct, that skill was one of the Witch's specialties. Whether she'd received it through inheritance or awakened it on her own, the former seemed far more likely. Under normal circumstances, that skill only bloomed once someone reached the upper ranks of hunters.

Kwagagagak────!

Unlike [Ice Field], which spread upward from the ground, [Blizzard] was an area-of-effect skill that froze enemies from above. Its power and range were beyond imagination, but it consumed an enormous amount of mana and had a strict limit on the number of times it could be used per day. That was why she was only using it now. She must have judged the situation to be dire, yet the exhilaration on her face suggested this was closer to self-satisfaction.

'What a waste... She should have saved it.'

It was a shame from my perspective. The dungeon didn't seem like it would end at this rate. In an instant, the Blizzard turned over a hundred monsters into lumps of ice. It truly was an insane skill. In terms of impact alone, it rivaled my [Flame Explosion].

But why wasn't Fireball leveling up like this?

No Hayun glanced around, spotted me, and gave a faint smile. Strangely, that smile seemed to carry a hint of gratitude, which puzzled me.

'What did I even do...?'

Anyway, ever since we'd first met, she was an impossible kid to figure out.

Thud-!

Crash-

The skeletons that crumbled beneath my swings had already exceeded a hundred, and the mana stones were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠being greedily devoured by the trait [Obsession]. The quest progress had long since surpassed 1,200 each, and the tingling sensation in my body told me my experience was rising rapidly. They say one improves by leaps and bounds. Watching No Hayun naturally brought back memories of the grueling fight we'd endured together in the canyon. The difference in enemy levels between then and the current skeleton army was enormous. Of course, the Orc Advanced Warriors, who had been stronger than the Giant Skeletons, were an exception, but considering that two Giant Skeletons were more troublesome than a single Orc Advanced Warrior, this battle was far more difficult.

In reality, other parties were suffering casualties one after another. Even with Yeon-hee covering them with summons, the numbers were an 1:8 disadvantage. What ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could they do? It was heartbreaking from my position to watch D-grade top hunters die, but there was nothing I could do. At least none of our party members had even a scratch, so I had to be content with that.

After thirty more minutes of fierce combat, the enemy numbers had been reduced to one-third. At that point, the outcome was obvious to anyone, and it was a moment when tension could finally ease.

"Everyone! Stay focused—!"

But right on cue, Yeom Tae-seok's booming voice snapped everyone's attention back into place. When A-rin had asked him on the way here, he'd mentioned he'd been a D-grade dungeon helper for two years now. The air of a veteran was unmistakable. Still, he planned to attempt promotion this month as his final try. He was truly too valuable to remain stuck at D-grade. I couldn't understand why he'd wasted his talent in a place like this for two years. Considering his age, I could roughly guess the reason, but Yeom Tae-seok's personal circumstances held no interest for me right now. Because...

'Finally! Ha... I could cry.'

It hadn't even been two ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠weeks since my class change, yet it felt like an eternity. That just showed how densely packed my days had been. And the fact that Fireball had leveled up meant...

'Great! Even an achievement!'

'......'

Er... how should I even describe this skill...?

Just get hit once. I'll kill you.

That kind of feeling?

Five Flame Marks for 750% damage, plus an additional 100% for every mark stacked beyond that—an absurd ability. The string of descriptions that followed defied common sense and left me feeling dizzy. 'Defense ignore, maximum health destruction, conditional guaranteed death...' Each one alone would be called overpowered, yet here they were bundled together.

'Isn't this top-tier? I've never heard of a skill like this in my entire life.'

It was a shame that it couldn't pierce [Invincibility], but that was a problem that could be solved later.

'It feels a bit far off since you need an artifact from an A-grade dungeon...'

From the memories I'd recovered through Mimicry, I clearly knew the information about it. The absolute shield known as the skill [Invincibility]. I knew exactly where the spear capable of neutralizing that absolute defense was hidden.

Shiver shiver-

'My bones are trembling.'

If [Madness Exploding Bullet] was the final trump card for the very end, then [Flame Explosion] would become my main finisher. To make that happen, the key would be how quickly I could stack [Flame Slash]'s marks. I'd need to diligently train hitting attacks by utilizing skills like [Reckless Charge] or [High-Speed Flight].

'Huu-'

After taking a deep breath in my mind, I returned to the battle. There were still many monsters threatening the hunters. Another ten minutes passed like that. By now, half the hunters had withdrawn from combat. The exhausted ones were tasked with recovering the dead and collecting loot, while the still-fresh hunters continued cycling back into the fight. The division of roles had split cleanly in half, and the monsters' stamina was running dry, the tension of battle clearly easing—when it happened.

'This... No... Let's not do this. Seriously...'

Ominous clouds heavy with an unmistakably ill omen began to gather in the sky. I immediately pulled a red firework from my inventory and launched it upward, and my party members rushed toward me at once.

Kwarrurung—!

The thunder-laden clouds expanded their presence until they soon covered the sky above us, blocking even the occasional sunlight that had been filtering through.

"What the hell is this bullshit now?"

"Damn it... This doesn't look good?! Let's get out of here! Quick!"

"Let's wrap this up fast! This feels wrong!"

Everyone here had been hunters for at least a year. The moment an uneasy aura cut through the air, their bodies reacted first. Some abandoned their parties entirely and sprinted toward the dungeon exit on their own.

'Damn it, I helped you and you can't even say thanks, you bastards!'

But the first to finish preparing to move were us. I'd signaled my party members the moment the clouds appeared.

'This sensation... If it's what I experienced back then, even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠if we go now, the exit will probably...'

"Let's run straight to the exit."

I had a guess about what was coming, but I decided to try reaching the exit first. Hoping my prediction would be wrong.

Yeom Tae-seok and I took on the task of fending off charging monsters while the rest of the party climbed onto the Lizardman's shoulders, ready to move. Kwaaarrurung──!! The suspicious aura was growing stronger by the second, so there was no reason to delay.

"Kyaa! Is the dungeon closing or something?"

'Correct.'

Normally, hunters knew that strange phenomena would continue for several weeks before a dungeon closed. But in my memories, there had been no information about the Dungeon of Nargul closing at this point. Something I hadn't experienced and didn't remember was happening. It was nothing new at this stage. I simply had to respond. Though the situation had arisen suddenly, we maintained our composure as we ran. Yeom Tae-seok mentioned he'd experienced a dungeon closure before and calmly shared what he knew as we made our way forward together.