Invincibility Activated

The moment Invincibility activated, a familiar voice reached me.

While everyone else watched me with complicated expressions, Ham Eun-yeong only had eyes for the condition of her guardian spirit. She had been overjoyed beyond words the first time she managed to manifest Azraelon from the mirror and hold him in her arms. At first she kept getting sucked back into the mirror because she wasn’t used to the ability, but after relentless effort and iron will, maintaining his feline form had become second nature. Still, since the environment outside the mirror—connected to the demon realm—was completely different, Azraelon had warned her an adjustment period would be necessary. That was why she kept worrying about him.

Step—

Each of us lost in our own thoughts, we continued moving forward. After taking a lunch break and setting out again, we finally encountered monsters other than wolves. But it wasn’t a simple meeting.

The eternal rivals—Big Boars and Goblins—were engaged in a massive group battle. The terrain where I had led my companions sat a few meters higher than the battlefield, allowing us to observe the situation at leisure. Although they were evolved monsters, one might wonder what kind of strategy was needed against Goblins and Big Boars. Yet the number of monsters scattered across the wide plain easily exceeded five hundred. No matter how strong we were, blocking that many without taking any damage would be difficult. The old saying that there is no defense against sheer numbers existed for a reason.

Of course, Yeonhee would be fine thanks to her summons, but the others were the problem. I couldn’t protect everyone by myself. This was a sight rarely seen in other dungeons. But this particular dungeon overflowed with such abundant food sources that it was almost excessive. That environment had caused the highly fertile Goblins to multiply far beyond normal levels, and they showed no hesitation in invading Big Boar territory. As a result, these large-scale clashes happened frequently here.

The evolved form of the Big Boar, the Pierce Big Boar, had grown significantly larger. Its overall physical abilities were also dramatically enhanced—one solid charge could easily break bones. When threatened, they would cluster together like Dire Wolves to form massive groups. That was exactly what we were witnessing now.

I gave a small clack of acknowledgment. It wasn’t easy to stay calm when those massive Big Boars came charging. I understood why my companions were tense. But to my eyes, they just looked like hundreds of healthy pigs ready for the roast.

Whoa… I can’t even eat them, yet my mouth is watering. Wait—maybe I should try eating one while using Mimicry?

Come to think of it, every time I used Mimicry I only ever spent the time either making love with Yeonhee or dealing with perverts. I had never once thought about eating anything. The Pierce Big Boar was supposed to be far more flavorful than a regular one.

Alright.

Opportunities to stock up on this many of them didn’t come often. I turned my gaze to the opposite side. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The Red Goblins struggling against the Pierce Big Boars were desperately holding up what looked like fairly sturdy wooden shields. Aside from the shields, their weapons were all crude blades, though I spotted a few with bows. There also seemed to be some variant mages among them. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The ratio of variants was about one in ten—an abnormally high number. It was strange that they were being pushed back by the Big Boars despite such solid forces, but they simply lacked the absolute numbers.

They’re struggling because reinforcements are late.

Bwooooooo—

Red Goblins possessed the strange ability to blow horn pipes that summoned every monster in the dungeon—ally or enemy alike.

Even from a distance, the sound affected our party. This was already the third time we’d heard it since arriving. The Red Goblins losing the power struggle took turns blowing the horn. The one who had just played it collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

Mana exhaustion. They must have poured a considerable amount of mana into the horn to project sound over such a wide area. In any case, we held our breath and watched, waiting for the battle to descend into complete chaos.

I could sense a pack of Dire Wolves that had been several kilometers away rapidly closing in, accelerating as they approached. The Dire Wolves’ favorite prey was, of course, the Big Boar. They did eat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Goblins too, but those were far down the priority list.

No Hayun often asked me short, direct questions. In response, I nodded and held up five fingers.

I agree. Now that the wolves have joined, maybe it’s time to test that skill. The meat might spoil a little, but oh well.

As my companions began to stir, I stepped forward and signaled for them to wait a moment.

Yeonhee’s eyes sparkled as if she had already guessed what I was about to do.

I ignored their words and pulled back the senses I had spread across several kilometers. I was about to use a major technique I had never activated before. Once the other parties arrived, things would get messy. Since this was the first day, it was better for me to step up and eliminate the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠variables.

With Jeombaki and Chehwa—the summons Yeonhee had called out—held in each hand, I charged straight into the heart of the battlefield.

- Kiiiyaaaaaaaak!!

- Chiiiiiiiiiirrr—!

The two summons, whose provocation range had grown quite far by now, drew the attention of every monster in the area. On top of that, I began hurling Fireballs in every direction. All eyes were now locked onto me.

Come on—I'll kill you all at once.

I had been wanting to test a certain skill for the past few days. The battlefield had already fallen into a frenzy thanks to the Red Goblins’ horn, and now my powerful Provocation skill grated against their instincts, completely driving the monsters mad.

Big Boars, Goblins, and the newly arrived Dire Wolves all charged toward me at once.

I planted my legs firmly into the ground and activated for the first time the skill I had obtained after killing a Great Calamity.

Bwooooooo—

The sensation was like a giant blowing air into my body. My frame began to swell dramatically.

Thanks to the timely activation of Invincibility, every attack swirling in from all directions was rendered completely useless.

The monsters’ eyes burned bright red as they drooled and unleashed skills wildly. A chill ran down my spine. No matter how much stronger I was than them, the sight of hundreds of frenzied monsters glaring at me was utterly horrifying.

Crunch!

Thud thud thud—!

When hundreds of monsters attacked simultaneously, the sheer weight was overwhelming. My body, anchored firmly to the ground by the skill, felt like it was about to lift into the air.

The bigger I get… the faster it happens the more I get hit?

Experiencing this bizarre sensation I had never felt in my life, I ordered Jeombaki and Chehwa in my arms to intensify their Provocation. Perhaps because of the memory of being chased by Tarantara and meeting our end together, the two summons immediately responded to my command and unleashed their full power.

"Awooooooooo!!"

The monsters’ frenzy grew even more intense. For some reason their attack power also skyrocketed, and my armor began peeling off piece by piece. The more I was struck, the more my once streamlined body swelled outward, becoming so round that its width was nearly equal in every direction. I was a little worried about what Yeonhee would think when she saw me puffed up like a blowfish.

My size had now reached about one and a half times that of the combined No. 1.

Shuuuuuuuuuu———

I sensed that the preparations to unleash my power were complete. My current mana, after using several Fireballs, sat at 751. Of that, 750 points were all poured into this single skill.

Ugh… it’s not just draining my mana.

Ten Thousand Ring Cannon had sucked away not only my mana but every intangible resource—my sensory waves, mental strength, everything.

Pop pop pop pop—

Tiny holes the size of a pinky finger rapidly multiplied across my outer shell. Soon, well over a thousand muzzles glowed with the light of condensed mana.

Ughhhhhhhhh—!

My instincts screamed at me to fire it immediately, but reason barely held on. The moment every last drop of mana was evenly distributed into the muzzles, I released everything I had been holding back.

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM—!!

A tremendous explosion that shook the earth erupted as mana shells blasted outward in every direction. The hundreds of monsters that had rushed in to bite and slash me couldn’t even resist the densely compressed, powerful projectiles. They began sprouting gaping holes.

The preparation time had taken dozens of seconds, yet the release happened in less than one. It was an incredibly brief moment, but the scene created by Ten Thousand Ring Cannon was truly astonishing.

The monsters now looked like revolvers with cylinders full of holes. Their remains rained down onto the ground in a delayed shower.

Ouch, my head…

My mana had plummeted, triggering mana exhaustion.

But thanks to the ability I gained on the day I first shared my senses with Yeonhee, the penalty felt far lighter than before.

Gulp—

Thanks to Keen Ears, my hearing had improved dramatically. I could clearly hear my companions swallowing hard. There had been well over six hundred C-rank dungeon summons on that field. Many of them were variants, so their shock was understandable. Even the ‘Centipede Hell’ lurking underground with its mouth wide open, waiting for an opportunity, had been killed instantly. It was an unbelievable attack.

The downside is that I can’t control the direction.

Since it was my first time, I’d probably get a better feel for it with more use.