Tactical Mayhem Among the Flame Monkeys
Despite claiming she would avoid fighting if the numbers grew too large, the mage Yu Dali used no magic at all during the earlier slime battle. She simply infused a trace of mana into her staff and swung it down to help however she could.
Still, she's not being greedy. She's patiently waiting for her turn. Most people would grow impatient and rush in if their contribution felt insignificant, but it seemed this mage had long since moved past that stage.
About forty minutes later, the situation changed.
There are a lot of them. Fifty or sixty, maybe… Should we give it a shot?
The same person who had insisted we flee the moment we saw more than fifty before entering the dungeon was now changing his tune. It had to be because Lee Yeonhee’s combat strength far exceeded his expectations. The forty minutes of fruitless walking probably factored into his decision as well.
Han Manwoo whispered the question to us first instead of the mage. Fortunately, Yu Dali didn’t seem offended. There were plenty of fools in dungeons who wasted energy on pointless ego clashes with teammates, but she wasn’t one of them.
Yeonhee, who normally checked my face first whenever a big decision arose, spoke up before I could signal her this time.
I… I think we can manage it…
Han Manwoo and Suran’s faces brightened instantly. Their eyes shifted to the mage.
My mana is at sixty percent right now. Do we have any way to guarantee safety?
By “safety,” she meant that after opening with Bind, she wouldn’t have enough mana left to raise walls like she had in the first fight.
True, that spell isn’t ordinary magic. Still, blocking off a single direction should be possible, right?
I spread my palm wide and tapped on an imaginary wall to the right. Yeonhee immediately relayed the message.
Please seal off just one side. We’ll handle the rest somehow. Let’s position the summons to prioritize Miss Dali’s safety above all.
Yu Dali gave a satisfied nod. Once this battle ended, some form of reward would surely follow. In dungeons, that usually meant runes. Clearing a large group of fifty or more enemies at once dramatically increased rune drop rates and triggered other bonuses. It was no wonder Han Manwoo’s face had lit up.
Good. We’ll begin the same way as before.
Binding roughly ten of them, then holding off the attacks of nearly fifty while continuing to dish out damage. The words were simple, but the reality was anything but. Charging straight into the heart of the enemy formation just to finish off the bound targets was already a massive gamble.
But that was only from a human perspective.
This time I’ll send my summons in first. Please watch our backs. Manwoo, come with us.
In other words, she intended to use the slightly weaker Uncheol and Suran purely for defense. Their eyes twitched at the suggestion, but they soon nodded in acceptance.
Good. Since they didn’t throw a fit, we’ll give them a slightly larger share of the loot as thanks.
The fact that everything was proceeding without pointless arguments was the most satisfying part.
Shaaaraaaak—!!
Roughly twelve monkeys camped a short distance from the lakeside were instantly bound tight to the ground. I charged straight at them with Lizardman One and Two, roaring the whole way.
Kiihiiik!!
As expected, they panicked and began wildly hurling flame bombs from their pockets. At that exact moment, I flung the ironclad beetle I had been hiding behind my back into the center of their formation.
Whirr— Thud!
Luckily it struck one of them square in the head. The fallen beetle immediately sensed the crisis and activated Curl Up.
Chirrr!!
All the monkeys whipped their heads toward the noise at once. We closed in on the bound targets without any real resistance.
Han Manwoo, who had charged alongside us and was busy smashing the aggroed monkeys’ heads with his shield, burst out laughing.
“Hahaha!! This is completely insane!! You can actually fight like this using summons?! Are you some kind of genius?”
I even caught him muttering “I absolutely have to recruit him” under his breath. I activated stealth and slipped deeper into their ranks.
There I found a larger specimen brutally stomping on the ironclad beetle.
Flame monkey packs always have a boss.
If I took that one out, the rest would lose all coordination and simply act on instinct.
Acid Spray
Splaaash—!!
The greatly increased spray volume after its level-up completely drenched the boss monkey. It hopped around wildly, clutching its face. The moment the aggro pulled by the beetle faded, the other monkeys saw their leader’s state and furiously hurled every flame bomb they had straight at me.
Reckless Charge
I targeted the outermost monkey and triggered the skill, shooting out of the kill zone in an instant.
“Whoa!! That’s a skill too? It’s insanely fast! Just what is that skeleton sol—”
Boomboomboomboom—!!
“Ugh!! It’s hot, you little shits!”
Han Manwoo, who had been running his mouth, took a direct barrage of flame bombs to the back. He staggered and scrambled toward the outer edge. The lizardmen couldn’t endure the bombardment any longer either. They fled with their bodies in tatters.
“Lizards, return immediately!! Ilwol too!”
Of course her command had been the reason. Our team’s momentum after landing such an effective opening strike showed no sign of fading.
Health: 33/58
There had simply been too many attacks to dodge them all. I took hits like rain soaking through clothes and lost nearly half my health.
This much is acceptable.
The boss, slowly dying from my acid, lay on the ground pointing at us and let out a furious shriek.
Kiiiieeeeek!!
The entire monkey horde charged toward us with terrifying ferocity.
“Tsk!! Fall back, now!!”
It was strange hearing that line from the person at the very rear, but I understood it as “Please don’t abandon me.” Han Manwoo’s burn damage was severe enough that he couldn’t run properly. I couldn’t just leave him, so I slowed down and introduced the pursuing monkeys to the taste of my war hammer across their faces.
By the time we were nearly surrounded, we had stalled their approach with flame bombs and acid spray long enough for every member to regroup at our original position.
This side took a beating too…
The monkeys had split their forces, so shield-bearers Uncheol and Suran looked awful. Their armor was scorched and dented everywhere.
Gulp, gulp—
“How can you chug potions like water?”
Suran scolded the panting Uncheol while pouring the last of their remaining potion across Han Manwoo’s burned back.
“Those little bastards hit harder than they look. Especially the things they throw.”
One glance at Han Manwoo’s pitch-black, charred Big Bore leather was proof enough.
“Looks like we’ve cut their numbers in half, but it doesn’t feel like it.”
“Still, their momentum has dropped a lot.”
“Here they come. Get ready!”
The moment the words left his mouth, the hesitant monkeys gripped fresh flame bombs in both hands and charged.
“Frontline shields up!”
Boomboomboom—!!
None of them had flame resistance, but the shields performed admirably. The lizardmen guarding Yeonhee and Yu Dali on both flanks were drenched in blood yet refused to yield an inch.
Thwong— Thud— Whirr, swish—
Yeonhee’s bowstring sang continuously. I created flame bombs as fast as I could and hurled them at the nearest attackers.
“Uraaaacha!!”
Han Manwoo and Uncheol, who had spent the last minute purely defending, finally raised their shields and charged. That was the signal. I dashed forward with both lizardmen right behind me.
Kiihek— Hegek—
The lizardmen were panting on the verge of collapse, yet they still looked threatening enough to the flame monkeys. Most of the beasts threw their bombs and immediately fled.
Boom—!!
Kiiak!!
While their flame bombs kept missing, every single one of mine found its mark. The monkeys had to be burning with rage on the inside.
Dagger Throw Lv.3
— Attack power +15% when throwing daggers, Accuracy +22%
— Accuracy +17% when throwing any object
The Dagger Throw skill had leveled up as well, pushing its accuracy bonus to seventeen percent.
Now that I have both close-range and mid-range skills, I just need a proper long-range option and I’ll be a true all-rounder.
In any case, it was a blessing that I didn’t have to fight those disgusting creatures at close quarters.
Haaat—!
Slash!
Suran swung her greatsword beside me and neatly severed a flame monkey’s neck. The battle finally drew to a close.
Good. Very good.
“Uahahaha— Ah, fuck! That was seriously brutal!”
Suran hurled her greatsword to the ground and flopped onto her back.
She’s pretty badly hurt.
The cuts covering her body were from the monkeys that had swarmed her. Her armor was burnt and fused in places, to say nothing of the rest of her gear.
“Aish! Guess I need to get another one fitted!”
She tossed the thousand armor aside, then a moment later started picking up the pieces and stuffing them back into her inventory.
Huu… Haa…
Mage Yu Dali was clearly suffering from mana exhaustion as well, yet her face glowed with satisfaction. During the fight I had noticed her cleverly scattering sleep powder while retreating. She had even swung her staff in melee without sparing herself. She was tougher than she looked.
Still, the undisputed MVP of this battle was Yeonhee.
She had positioned and directed the lizardmen, ironclad beetle, and slimes to exactly the right spots across the battlefield. On top of that, she had provided covering fire and dealt damage with her arrows—performing three roles at once. It was perfectly understandable why Han Manwoo and Uncheol were practically bowing and scraping in front of her right now.