Too Much Right After Job Advancement

The moment I finished my job change, a deep humming vibration rattled through me—

After a full minute passed, my mind went completely blank. The next thing I knew, I had been pulled into another space. And the place I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠arrived at was exactly what I feared.

"Clack clack clack!" Isn't this the hidden chamber inside the Lizardman Swamp?!

The long, straight corridor felt all too familiar. I'd been here three times already, so that was no surprise. And right in front of me swirled a menacing portal radiating pure threat.

Ugh… Am I going to die if I go in there?

It screamed danger from every angle. So this was what they called a channel to another dimension? I remember seeing a few more of these black holes in other dungeons.

Several locations from my memories rose clearly in my mind. The Black Wyvern's Nest. That was the last one I saw. It looked insanely dangerous.

Did that mean I'd have to keep tackling quests like this from now on? What a massive pain in the ass…

My instincts told me this wasn't going to be easy at all.

Shwooooo—

What the—?!

While I was lost in thought in front of the 'channel to another dimension,' black smoke suddenly erupted from the vortex and swallowed me whole.

Grraaah… Did I lose consciousness for a second?

The place the vortex had hurled me into was a desolate wasteland that reminded me of a desert. Not a single blade of green grass could be seen in this barren environment.

- Kwooooooooor—!

Right on cue, a monster's roar shook the air. The sound alone made my entire body tremble. Just from its cry, I could tell how overwhelmingly powerful this thing was.

No way… How the hell am I supposed to kill that? This damn system is actually insane.

My enhanced senses let me gauge the enemy's combat power with painful clarity. I'd only just reached C-rank, so why was I being forced to fight something that was clearly A-rank?

This is a blatant balance break. Can we get a quest redesign or something?

Damn it. Damn it all.

In the end, I trudged toward the source of the roar. Of course I didn't forget to activate Stealth.

After moving about five hundred meters, I reached the source. A grotesque monster roughly five meters tall stood upright on two legs, roaring continuously. Its body was a deep navy blue bordering on black, with bizarrely twisted sharp fingers. Its lower jaw seemed to be missing entirely, replaced by a thick tongue dripping with black saliva. Around its incredibly sturdy neck that looked like it would never bend no matter how hard you hit it, horns protruded on both sides. At first glance, it looked somewhat similar to the mirror demon that Ham Eun-yeong carried.

- Hwoooooooor—!

Kgh…!

Even from seventy meters away, its vicious aura pierced straight into my bones. The monster stood in the middle of what had once been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a fairly large village. Many of the houses had already been smashed to pieces. The villagers were fleeing as far from the creature as possible. What struck me most was that even the seemingly ordinary five- or six-year-old children possessed considerable mana.

Huh?!

Even more surprising was the fact that there were people actually fighting the Chaos Residue. As I got closer, their distinctly foreign appearances became clear. Blue eyes, reddish hair… combined with their high-bridged noses, they might have passed for Europeans, except there were dozens of them who stood well over two meters tall. This was clearly not the world I came from.

"······!!"

They fought the monster desperately, constantly communicating to maintain their formation. I couldn't understand their language, but I could tell they were giving everything they had to turn the tide.

Their formation is well-organized. Looks almost like a military unit.

But the monster easily shattered their defensive lines by firing powerful energy waves from its mouth. Still, the fact that they could withstand the attacks of a creature brimming with such immense mana at all told me just how strong these fighters were. If I had job-changed into a Dreadnought Boneguard, I probably would have looked something like them.

When the monster realized simple long-range attacks weren't working, it began physically assaulting the soldiers. Its swinging fists moved so fast they were nearly impossible to track. In the blink of an eye, several soldiers were snatched up and promptly shoved into its maw.

Crunch— Crack—

- ······!!

The sight of the soldiers screaming madly at the deaths of their comrades was heartbreaking.

Even if they all worked together, it's still hopeless.

That's how overwhelmingly strong it was. Getting hit with something this brutal right after my job change was seriously unfair. To make matters worse, the timer floating in my head read twenty-nine minutes. Setting a time limit too? This system really didn't have a single shred of mercy.

What? It has detection abilities?!

I had definitely approached while using my improved Stealth, but it seemed I couldn't fool its eyes. Its combat power is roughly low A-rank. I guess it's like fighting Maeng Seong-yong.

That meant even with the upgrade to my stealth, I still couldn't fool anything above A-rank. Well, not everyone, but I'd have to assume the worst and act accordingly. Fortunately, it hadn't pinpointed my exact location yet.

Kwaaaaaaaaang——!

Whoa!

The energy wave fired from its mouth landed near me and carved out a massive crater. I flinched and dodged frantically. The creature tilted its head for a moment, then roared again in my direction.

Kwaaaaaaaa—

Kgh—!

The enormous mana pressure was strong enough to lift my body off the ground. To release this much power with a single roar… I was dying to know how big its mana pool was.

Oh no!

It must have sensed me using mana when I dodged just now. It looked slow, but it had some surprisingly smart traits.

- ······??

The people fighting it stared in confusion as the monster suddenly turned its back on them and began attacking empty space behind it.

Instead of staring, how about you attack while it's distracted?

I understood that reacting instantly to such erratic behavior against a powerful enemy was difficult, but it was clear their decision-making wasn't exactly top-tier.

Combat mode.

Crack— Crunch—

My smooth body transformed into rough, rugged bone armor. I charged straight at it using Reckless Charge, Phantom Dash, and the newly recognized Lightning Step.

Ugh!

The tremendous speed that pushed the air aside nearly snapped my head backward. It seemed the skill's efficiency had increased significantly after being officially recognized. The description only said it allowed me to move like lightning using mana, with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no numerical values. Did that mean its effectiveness depended entirely on how I used it?

Anyway, I closed the distance to its body in an instant. My speed must have momentarily surpassed its perception, because it only reacted after I'd gotten within twenty meters.

- Kroaaaaar!!

Chills ran down my spine as it turned its head toward me and howled. I had no choice but to slow down.

Whoa! Getting right up against it is impossible? Then let's start by restraining it!

"Clack clack clack!"

I didn't forget to use Warrior's Howl to meticulously boost my strength.

Crash—!

Enormous chains of flame materialized around the monster's massive body, binding it tightly. The creature roared in shock at the sudden restraint and thrashed wildly. Red-hot flames erupted from the chains around its waist. Its already hideous face twisted even further in agony.

But after a few violent struggles, the flame chains shattered and dissipated.

Damn— My first cast and I couldn't even enjoy it.

I'd had high hopes for the new skill, but the first opponent was simply too strong. Its strength and resistance must be off the charts.

If binding wouldn't work, then—

Just one hit…!

If I could land Skeleton Bomb, Depressed Sneaky Drain, and Vicious Claws even once, the Paralysis effect would let me control its movements for a moment. After that, I'd stack the slow from Special Strong Acid and follow up with consecutive Flame Slashes—

Shhhhh—

Huh?!

As I leaped in while planning out my combo, the monster suddenly vanished from my sight. And then—

"Grrrrr—"

Chills— When did it get behind me?!

Bam—!

I fired spikes from my back and tried to dodge, but the monster's fist slammed into my side and sent me flying until the village looked like a distant speck.

Insane attack power!

It had punched straight through my massively improved defense and damaged my health. No matter how much my flame armor and chain armor had boosted my defense, fully withstanding the attack of a monster two ranks higher than me was nearly impossible.

- Kreeeeek?!

Kek— Kheek—

Fortunately, the monster had inhaled a huge amount of the 'slow' smoke that burst from my body when the Gray Fungus Poison activated. Its movements suddenly became drastically slower.

What was that just now? Some kind of teleportation?

No matter how outstanding its physical abilities were, the only explanation for it reaching me without passing through my sensory field was teleportation. Traces of mana still lingered where I had been standing, and they felt remarkably similar to the portal that had brought me to this space.

So it can move anywhere in an instant? I'll have to raise my evaluation of this thing.

It had seen through my Stealth, analyzed my position, and even possessed a skill that let it instantly get behind me. Of course, judging by how much its mana had dropped after using that ability, it probably wasn't something it could spam.

Wow— how the hell am I supposed to beat this?

If I had hair, I would have been tearing it out. Oblivious to my frustration, the monster charged straight toward me.