Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Warrior Chief Ashurek
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"One?"
Yeon-hee tilted her head as she asked.
She wasn't doubting Jeong-hyeon's detection ability.
The time she'd fought alongside him wasn't that long, but picking out the shaman hidden in that forest wasn't easy.
And watching him fight his way back to the sanctuary afterward, he was a powerhouse beyond comparison to them.
If someone like that said there was only one, then the monster in the fifth wave really was just one.
Before they knew it, Jeong-hyeon had that much influence over the party members.
In any case, since Yeon-hee had asked, Jeong-hyeon nodded and replied.
"Yeah. It's weird. Just one..."
Jeong-hyeon couldn't easily guess the reason either.
But one thing was certain.
At least that one had a difficulty exceeding the 300-plus warriors before it, which was why the system had assigned it to the fifth wave.
The system wouldn't be crazy enough to call the fifth wave a bonus and throw out a single warrior.
'Anyway, at least we don't have to split our forces this time. That's a relief.'
He didn't know if more shamans were hiding in the forest.
But with only one presence felt from the front, if worst came to worst, they could take it down and then deal with the shamans.
It was probably much stronger than the warriors based on the situation, but better than facing them in the hundreds.
Even that was fortunate in their current state.
Jeong-hyeon's eyes caught the barricades left half-repaired, just enough to not collapse immediately while they rested.
Even without considering the party's condition, those alone made group combat impossible.
"Anyway, it doesn't fit, but this must be the boss."
"Alright, let's finish it quick and head back!"
The opponent hadn't shown itself yet, but the party members' expressions had brightened noticeably.
They felt relieved at not having to face more of those damn lizardman warriors, and one opponent probably meant a boss wave.
This was almost certainly the final wave.
It was far better than morale plummeting.
But then, an ominous sound erupted from the forest.
Keeeeeee—
"Did you hear that just now?"
It came from quite a distance, but no one missed it.
It was definitely a lizardman's voice.
They'd heard it thousands, tens of thousands of times by now—impossible not to recognize.
But this was qualitatively different from any lizardman voice so far.
'What the hell is it this time!'
Jeong-hyeon vented his frustrated rage inwardly.
He could tell just from the voice.
This one coming out wouldn't be a pushover either.
They'd just taken down two Grand Mantises in the previous gate!
The association had guaranteed this gate wouldn't be that hard based on external energy measurements!
Jeong-hyeon once again confirmed that the system was desperate to kill him.
After a few more ominous lizardman cries, a notification window appeared that he hadn't seen in a while.
[Sudden Coin Quest 'Blood Revenge' has occurred.
The lizardman sanctuary recapture leader and Lizardman Warrior Chief 'Ashurek' is furious at the sight of his pathetically slain subordinates.
'Ashurek' is a great warrior who can wield the 'power of nature' from lizardman myths.
Protect the sanctuary to the end and send him back to the myths.
Objective: Defeat Lizardman Warrior Chief 'Ashurek'.
Reward: 7 Coins]
"What the fuck!"
"H-Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon?"
Jeong-hyeon usually tried to hold back curses in front of others, but he couldn't this time.
The sudden coin quest content was outrageous.
No wonder only one had appeared even though the wave had started—it was beyond imagination.
'A Lizardman Warrior Chief? Are you kidding me?'
'Merrillium Mine's Gems' had at least been an easy path to the boss.
Even with two Grand Mantises with harpoons at the end—enough to curse about—they could fight at full strength, so it was forgivable a hundred times over.
But what kind of difficulty design was this place?
Adding up all the lizardmen his party had killed, it was around 1,000.
Even considering it was a Mission Gate, that was top-tier difficulty for a level 5 gate.
And now the boss was a Lizardman Warrior Chief.
"Why... what's wrong?"
Ji-hee cautiously asked, seeing Jeong-hyeon suddenly curse and look visibly uneasy.
Until now, despite the fatigue—which was unavoidable—he'd never seemed anxious.
Watching him made Ji-hee feel anxious too.
Jeong-hyeon glanced at Ji-hee, seeming to ponder something before finally speaking.
"The final wave seems to be a Lizardman Warrior Chief."
"Pardon?"
"Why would a guy like that be here?"
Lizardman Warrior Chief.
The name stirred up a storm.
The party members were immediately shocked.
The Lizardman Warrior Chief was a field boss monster from level 6 gates, just like the Grand Mantis.
It was also considered one of the worst and strongest among lizardman monsters, alongside the shamans.
Hunting data was scarce at this level, so exact details were unknown, but its status alone meant it wasn't inferior to the Grand Mantis.
Moreover,
'The Grand Mantis could at least be raided, but this one...'
Compared to large boss monsters where a party's firepower could fully concentrate due to size, smaller boss monsters were that much trickier.
Its perceived difficulty could be higher than the Grand Mantis.
And what was this 'power of nature' from myths?
'Obviously some bullshit power. I can guess without looking.'
Jeong-hyeon now assumed the absolute worst from the start.
He couldn't afford even the tiniest 'what if' hope.
He had to imagine the worst he could think of to barely limit it to just a bit worse.
Jeong-hyeon looked around at the party members.
Their faces weren't much different from the Vice Guild members when they first spotted the Grand Mantis.
It was inevitable.
Who could've imagined facing a field boss from a gate one level higher, even in a Mission Gate?
Especially after all the hell they'd endured.
But they couldn't back down.
"I don't know why it's here either. What matters is we have to beat this warrior chief or whatever to survive and go home."
"But..."
Yeon-hee trailed off glumly.
Meaning, could they even win?
Jeong-hyeon didn't drag that doubt to the surface.
As always, he couldn't predict the future.
But one thing was sure.
"Isn't fighting better than giving up without a fight?"
As he spoke, Jeong-hyeon briefly made eye contact with each party member.
Their strength hadn't fully returned, but they seemed resolved.
Finally, his eyes met Ji-hee's.
She was the one he could expect full power from in this situation.
She'd pushed herself hard too, but she had one of the cheat traits Jeong-hyeon acknowledged as a cheat.
'Right, counter cheat with cheat.'
"Ji-hee, can you do it?"
"Yes."
Ji-hee nodded firmly at his question.
Her expression showed unusual resolve unlike her usual self.
Was it because she didn't know what a Lizardman Warrior Chief was?
For a moment, he suspected that, given her confidence.
Whatever.
Jeong-hyeon turned his gaze toward the Lizardman Warrior Chief's direction.
He felt its presence accelerating rapidly.
'This speed...'
Not comparable to Jeong-hyeon, but excluding him, it was hard to find a match.
"Everyone, get in position! It's coming!"
He'd thought they'd have time to plan tactics, but it didn't plan to give even that.
At Jeong-hyeon's sudden order, the party members hesitated briefly before scrambling to their spots.
Leaving them behind, Jeong-hyeon charged forward.
The warrior chief closing the distance had an extraordinary momentum.
'I have to counter it right at the start no matter what!'
Ideally, Su-chan with the best tanking should take the first hit, but that wasn't a good choice.
He had to handle it himself, leading with split-second judgment.
Keeeeeee—
A ferocious roar exploded from what felt like right in front of them in the forest.
At the same time, the sound of trees crunching.
It was furious enough to ignore its original path, bulldozing straight through whatever was in reach.
Jeong-hyeon gripped the pickaxe tightly, waiting for its movement to fully begin.
'100m, 70m, 50m.'
Unbelievable speed for smashing through trees.
His only thought now was that the system had sent another ridiculous monster.
When it reached 20m.
Crunch—
'It's here!'
It smashed through trees and leaped into the clearing in one bound.
"Kiieek!"
The eerie screech from afar was unchanged.
'Block? Dodge?'
Even with thought acceleration active, facing the charge at this speed.
Jeong-hyeon hesitated briefly.
But it couldn't last long—shouldn't.
He poured all his strength into his calves and leaped.
Boom—
The roar deafening even to hear made their ears ring as the two forms collided.
One was flung back almost simultaneously.
"Hunter Han Jeong-hyeon!"
Yun-ho's scream-like call followed a beat late.
The clash between Lizardman Warrior Chief Ashurek and Jeong-hyeon.
The one pitifully repelled over 10m was none other than Jeong-hyeon.
"Ugh..."
Jeong-hyeon swallowed a pained groan.
He'd expected to be pushed back, but not this badly.
No running start, and outmatched in weight class, but he had neutral magic enchantment.
Plus, the goal wasn't brute force but deflecting the attack properly.
From just that one exchange, Jeong-hyeon had to revise his assessment of the Lizardman Warrior Chief.
"You're pretty good?"
In that split second, Ashurek read Jeong-hyeon's intent to smack the weapon's side with the pickaxe to redirect it—and instead turned the blade toward the pickaxe.
Less power than full force, but it redirected toward Jeong-hyeon instead.
With strength as his weakness, Jeong-hyeon had no choice but to be blown away.
"Healing incoming!"
Yun-ho greedily tried to activate heals from closer, moving the party toward Jeong-hyeon.
Thanks to that, Jeong-hyeon felt his body rapidly easing.
Only then could he fully take in the Lizardman Warrior Chief's appearance.
'This guy's a total monster...'