The Dungeon Beneath the Maze (3)
The most simple yet overwhelmingly powerful force in war was, without a doubt, sheer numbers.
No matter how skilled a warrior or how superior the weapons, they would all pale before an overwhelming quantity.
Do-hyeon and Hana Rin felt this truth with painful clarity.
Monsters poured in from every direction.
Their numbers were staggering.
Indeed, there was no fighting against sheer volume.
If they had a core, things would be different, but unfortunately, neither Do-hyeon nor Hana Rin possessed one.
Even if they did, using it would only lead to mutual destruction.
Regardless, Do-hyeon and Hana Rin unleashed every ounce of firepower they had, pouring magic into the monsters with full force.
Unlike Ji Yu-chan, Do-hyeon could fight in close combat, but magic was far more efficient for eliminating large numbers of enemies with the same amount of mana.
KWAAAAAANG———!!
KUWAAAAAANG———!!
As Do-hyeon and Hana Rin cast mid-tier spells in tandem, spreading maximum firepower across wide areas, explosions far larger than the dust clouds kicked up by the charging monsters erupted, sending massive black clouds billowing into the sky.
Dozens of monsters were reduced to ash in an instant, yet the sight of hundreds more still rushing forward made Hana Rin grimace.
When they reused the mana from their previous spells to trigger another explosion, mana gathered once more at the blast sites, unleashing a chain of massive, heat-filled detonations.
KUGUGUGUG———
KURURURUR———
The ground flipped over as if an earthquake had struck, and enormous craters formed where the explosions had occurred.
Even so, only half the monsters had fallen after two blasts.
Over a hundred still charged toward them.
Seeing the disgusting numbers, Hana Rin frowned.
Do-hyeon offered her some encouragement.
“They’re weak one by one.”
“……Understood.”
After hearing Do-hyeon’s words, Hana Rin realized he was right.
Each individual monster felt slightly weaker than the ones that appeared in F-rank gates.
Do-hyeon already knew this for certain.
You have defeated a total of 132 『Lesser Monsters』.
You have acquired a total of 660P.
You have acquired a total of 660AP.
Normally, an F-rank monster gave 10 points and AP each.
These creatures only gave 5 points and AP per kill, meaning they possessed roughly half the strength of an F-rank monster.
Hana Rin felt her courage return after Do-hyeon’s words and pressed the offensive even faster.
Because of the distance between the monsters and the altar, only about thirty managed to reach the wall entrance alive.
That number was manageable.
SHRRRR———
Do-hyeon’s sword could handle the rest.
Once only thirty remained, Hana Rin deliberately conserved her mana.
Do-hyeon also stopped using magic and simply swung his sword to preserve his own reserves.
When the first wave finally ended, Hana Rin collapsed where she stood, exhausted.
Do-hyeon sat down with a similarly tired expression.
Though each monster was weak, facing two hundred of them had been mentally draining.
“Not as easy as I thought.”
“Ugh, there were so many……”
Hana Rin grumbled in agreement.
Ji Yu-chan, meanwhile, focused even harder on his meditation, determined to rejoin the fight as soon as possible.
Leaving Ji Yu-chan to his training for now, Do-hyeon turned to Hana Rin.
“How much mana do you have left?”
“……Roughly fifty percent.”
“Hoo, setting up the wall really took a lot.”
Do-hyeon had also pushed himself to create the barrier, and Hana Rin had done the same.
Normally, clearing that many monsters would have cost only about twenty percent of their mana.
Instead, they were down to fifty percent after constructing the defenses.
Do-hyeon’s reserves were even lower.
He had recovered slightly to around forty percent, but after the battle he was left with only fifteen percent.
If they continued like this, they would run out of mana before long.
Do-hyeon stood up, lightly stretching his body.
“They’re not that strong individually. You rest during the next wave, Narin.”
“Huh? But, Do-hyeon oppa, you alone……”
She had been about to say he would struggle, but stopped and let out a small laugh.
Who was worrying about whom here?
Do-hyeon smiled at her reaction.
“I need to save mana too, so I’ll fight conservatively. Once it recovers, you can rest during the following wave.”
“……Honestly.”
Hana Rin could only shake her head, unable to argue.
Since she couldn’t think of a better plan, she nodded.
“Understood. Let’s do that.”
“Good. Time to warm up.”
As Do-hyeon stretched, Hana Rin was about to warn him when the monsters arrived, but she noticed him staring into the distance.
She could faintly sense it too.
Though no dust cloud was visible yet, a subtle vibration traveled through the ground.
The tremors of two hundred monsters charging forward.
Soon, the same dust cloud from before rose on the horizon, and the monsters began to appear.
Less than ten minutes had passed since the last wave.
Hana Rin muttered quietly.
“There’s nothing easy about dungeons, is there?”
Do-hyeon grinned.
“That’s why the rewards are good.”
Having finished stretching, Do-hyeon gripped two longswords and sprinted forward the moment the monsters drew close.
There was still some distance between them and the wall.
While running, he threw one longsword ahead, then hurled the daggers hidden in his robes—one from each finger—in rapid succession.
The blades traced perfect arcs through the air and embedded themselves in the foreheads of the eight leading monsters.
PU-BU-BU-BU-BU-BUK!
The frontliners collapsed mid-charge, tripping those behind them.
The monsters that followed trampled over their fallen comrades and rushed toward Do-hyeon.
Seeing his thrown longsword falling, Do-hyeon dashed toward it, spun in midair, and caught the hilt.
Without using mana, he executed a Golden Sword technique from above, swinging downward as he fell.
His blade, spinning like a storm, carved through the monsters in multiple directions and tore a massive hole through their formation.
The creatures that had been heading straight for the altar were shredded.
Do-hyeon continued toward the altar until the monsters noticed him and changed targets.
However, gripping both swords, Do-hyeon let his arms hang loosely—almost dislocated—and trusted in Guardian’s Body’s regeneration as he whipped his arms like lashes.
SHWIIK——!
CHWAAAAA——!!!
SHRRR———!!
Sharp energy flashed from the blades as his arms lashed out like whips, the unnatural range granted by near-dislocation allowing him to mow down every monster in reach.
Yet even this had its limits against sheer numbers.
Though his arms and swords ground through the monsters like a blender, the creatures gradually began to push him back.
As they closed the distance one by one, the effectiveness of his whipping strikes diminished.
Do-hyeon started retreating, but the monsters pressed faster and faster.
‘This is bad.’
Was there really no counter to these numbers?
Should he use mana now?
Just as countless thoughts raced through his mind, a brilliant golden flash shot forward.
Like the first light of dawn, the golden radiance split the monsters apart.
At its center stood Ji Yu-chan, his golden sword gleaming as he carved through the horde.
Golden particles scattered around him, and every monster they touched was sliced apart.
Do-hyeon grinned.
“Yo, Yoo-chan!”
“It’s Ji Yu-chan.”
Ji Yu-chan answered while still feeling nauseous, yet his spatial awareness had never been clearer.
He could feel his own movements with perfect clarity.
Thanks to that, he could slaughter the monsters without expending much mana.
Do-hyeon also conserved his mana while cutting down enemies.
Though Do-hyeon had been slowly losing ground alone, Ji Yu-chan’s arrival stabilized the line.
Instead of retreating, the two of them advanced, carving through every last monster.
Before long, they had eliminated all two hundred and returned to the altar, drenched in monster blood.
Hana Rin smirked at the sight.
“I’ll let you two take the first shower tonight.”
“Oh! Nice.”
“……Obviously.”
Ji Yu-chan also smiled, his mood slightly improved.
After a short rest, they sensed the third wave approaching and stood up once more.
With Ji Yu-chan now participating, the three of them hunted while conserving mana and cleared the third wave without issue.
* * *
After facing a total of four waves, the Do-hyeon party sat down, exhausted.
Hana Rin muttered wearily.
“The fifth wave will be the last, right?”
“……We can only hope.”
“Hmm, probably.”
Though Do-hyeon spoke as if guessing, he already knew the next wave would be the final one.
Thanks to Analysis, of course.
Analyzing the next wave with 『Analysis』.
The final wave is coming soon.
Since Analysis had confirmed it, the next wave would indeed be the last.
As expected, a dust cloud rose in the distance.
Just as they prepared themselves, Do-hyeon sensed something strange and turned around.
With Detection active for training purposes, he noticed something near the altar and whipped his head toward it.
Standing atop the altar was a figure wearing black clothes and a black mask.
Before he could even wonder who it was, Do-hyeon’s eyes widened at what he saw.
Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan also reacted in shock and moved to attack, but Do-hyeon stopped them.
“Wait, don’t kill them!”
“……Huh?”
“……Eh, eh?”
Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan were confused.
The masked figure in black night-walking clothes flinched at their reaction, grabbed the fire on the altar, and fled.
When Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan turned to Do-hyeon, silently asking why he had stopped them—
“Let’s follow them.”
Do-hyeon spoke while examining the figure’s identity.
Analyzing 『Hidden NPC』.
‘There are NPCs in dungeons too?’