Chapter 78
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: The Hill Where Ice Flowers Bloom (3)
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“G... Guild Master, this can't be...?”
“Yeah, it looks like a multi-gate has opened.”
Having swiftly dispatched dozens of undead on the level of B-rank monsters in an instant, Seol Yu-bin stared at the dungeon's core, where waves of death kept erupting and gradually growing stronger.
“Why... did it burst open so suddenly, like it was just waiting for this?”
Multi-gate.
Up until now, the causes of outbreaks had been observed in a wide variety, but according to the academy's research, the overwhelming majority stemmed from mana overaccumulation.
In other words, when a dungeon exceeded the amount of mana it could contain, a multi-gate would occur.
And Seol Yu-bin herself, along with the Ice Castle guild members and research team who already knew this fact, had conducted thorough prior investigations and preparations on the three field-type dungeons before starting the guild experience.
She had personally confirmed that there were no issues.
Yet... why had it suddenly erupted like this? Without any warning signs whatsoever.
“...For now, you all protect the students here and hold out with defensive warfare as best you can.”
From the moment she sensed the undead aura, Seol Yu-bin had gathered all the nearby students together.
Thanks to that, over 150 students had secured safety before even encountering the undead.
Crack!
The moment her words ended, around the terrified students and the Ice Castle guild members protecting them, a fortress of ice—harder than steel itself, forged by Seol Yu-bin's unique trait, Absolute Zero Domain—rose up.
“Wh-what are you planning to do, Guild Master?”
In response to one guild member's question, she narrowed her eyes, glared toward the western sector, and shouted softly.
“Already over three casualties. I can sense more than 50 students in the western sector clashing with those undead bastards...”
“You don't mean...?”
“Yeah, I'll go rescue them. So watch over these young sprouts here. With Yeoul here, you should be able to hold out against the undead...”
Boom!
Mid-sentence, Seol Yu-bin startled and turned toward the sudden eruption of death energy.
Not just her—even the guild members and students clearly felt it this time, as everyone turned to gaze at the dungeon's core.
“......”
“......”
“Ten... people.”
Seol Yu-bin gritted her teeth.
She had just felt ten lives flicker as the death wave burst forth.
There was no more time to delay.
She had to save at least the remaining students before it was too late.
“Anyway... keep the kids safe. I'll be right back.”
“Understood.”
Seol Yu-bin gave the ice fortress one final check to ensure it was perfectly erected, then swiftly dashed toward the direction where she sensed the students' auras.
At that moment, the group of over 20 students, including Kang Hyun-sol—who had ultimately failed to reach the assembly point and been caught by the undead horde—were still locked in a standoff.
Even a rough count showed hundreds of undead facing them down.
“...This is insane.”
Necro Revenants, Modespines, Void Draugrs, Soul Rivers—each one possessed mid-boss-level power on par with B-rank monsters.
Taking one down required at least one A-rank hunter or three B-rank hunters.
But those weren't the real problem.
No matter what, our side had five S-rank awakeners, including me.
The issue was... the Dragon Bone Knight at the forefront of that undead army, clad in armor and radiating overwhelming energy.
The knight forged from dragon bones—that was the true mid-boss meant to guard the High Lich until its full revival, hindering players.
'But why the hell is that knight here...?'
“That one in the middle... its aura surpasses A-rank effortlessly.”
Sophia eyed the Dragon Bone Knight with intrigued fascination.
“First time facing an actual A-rank level monster... Just looking at it feels like hitting a wall! I get why gates A-rank and above are pro territory.”
Amelia, with her sanctuary fully activated, scanned the Dragon Bone Knight up and down with a mix of curiosity and tension.
Yoon Seo-rin, as if accustomed to this, had already shouldered her rifle and was silently zeroing in on it.
I swept my gaze over their faces once each, then turned to check for any escape routes... but as expected, none.
The rear was walled off by undead, left and right completely blocked.
Dozens of ordinary Draugr and Skeletons slowly closing in.
Front: this Skeleton horde and mid-boss Dragon Bone Knight. Back: zombies and ghosts. Only one way out.
Fight and wipe them all.
“...Damn, no choice then.”
I pulled out the mana bullet pistol from my subspace—the one Yoon Seo-rin had given me recently as a get-well gift and reward for keeping up with her training.
Then, shouting to the remaining students excluding the four heroines who were already battle-ready:
“We... have no choice but to fight.”
At my words, the surrounding students' faces paled in unison.
“W-we're screwed...!”
“How are we supposed to—”
“We need to run... but we can't escape...”
As fear spread, Wol Ha-yeon slowly stepped forward.
Her footsteps so light and composed they made no sound.
“Don't worry.”
Without even drawing her twin moon blades, she calmly advanced to the front, facing the Dragon Bone Knight head-on.
“...Ha-yeon?”
“What are you doing right now?”
“Dangerous! Get back!!”
At Wol Ha-yeon's sudden move, some students panicked and shouted awkwardly at her.
But she flashed a light smile and very slowly drew just a single sword.
“You all handle the small fry in the back.”
As if it were the most obvious decision, she didn't blink an eye before the Dragon Bone Knight's overwhelming aura.
No, she smiled brightly, like she'd finally found a fun toy to play with after so long.
Yoon Seo-rin hesitated briefly before speaking.
“I know you're strong, Wol Ha-yeon, but the Dragon Bone Knight won't fight alone.”
“That's fine. Makes it more fun.”
She said it not with confidence, but with the calm certainty of fact.
Yes, Wol Ha-yeon was the one and only SS-rank awakener, strong enough that her mere descent could topple a nation.
A munchkin girl who could go toe-to-toe with an Apostle one-on-one.
I took a deep breath and said,
“Alright. Then let's divide roles.”
All eyes turned to me.
“Four mid-bosses... we have four, perfect match.”
Sophia excitedly raised her staff and shouted.
“I'll take the Modespine over there!! It's a forbidden curse user, so I'm the best match.”
“Okay, Sophia on Modespine. Then I'll handle the Necro Revenant. I know its patterns.”
Amelia, thrilled for a real fight after so long, cautiously raised her hand and said,
“I'll... take the Void Draugr. Its corruption aura is weak to holy power.”
Finally, Yoon Seo-rin pointed to the farthest Soul River.
“The last one's mine.”
She said while swapping magazines.
“Erosion, tracking, scatter combo—I'll blow its mana heart away.”
Her eyes held not fear, but the focused intensity she always had in battle, which in turn bolstered the students' courage.
I nodded.
“Good. The rest of you—”
I looked each of the students—who couldn't even properly wield their weapons—straight in the eye and said,
“Block the undead coming from behind. Not asking you to kill many. Just buy time. Hold out while we take these down—and we'll all survive.”
The students nodded with trembling voices.
“Got it...!”
“I don't wanna die... I'll hold...”
“We... can do this...!”
Seeing them like that, they seemed both admirable and pitiful.
And right then—
Grrrrrr—!!!
The Dragon Bone Knight moved first.
The ground trembled as if crumbling.
One step.
One step.
The moment the overwhelming death aura rippled forward, Wol Ha-yeon vanished in the blink of an eye.
Slash! Clang—!
And exactly three seconds later, a trail of moonlight grazed the Dragon Bone Knight's head.
Thus, with Wol Ha-yeon's preemptive strike, the full battle began.
At the same time as the full-scale battle between humans who had properly entered the dungeon and the undead erupted.
In the dungeon's core, Carseion—who was in the midst of securing an additional ten humans, turning a total of thirteen into undead—turned his head.
He gazed at the Dullahan, mounted on horseback, holding its own severed head in one hand while absorbing the abundant mana scattered around.
“You... what have you been staring at since earlier?”
“......”
The Dullahan, still glaring piercingly toward the southwest without reacting much to Carseion's question, soon made the blue flames roaring from its headless neck flicker more fiercely as it replied indifferently.
“...I sense one—or two—humans with auras superior to ours. Makes the upcoming fight quite anticipated.”
“Indeed... But isn't one's aura source somehow hazy?”
“Do I need to worry about that too? I'm a knight. A knight only cares how strong the enemy before him is and whether it's one he must cut down.”
“I see.”
Judging there was no need to continue the conversation after the Dullahan's firm reply, Carseion turned back.
He glanced at the thirteen emaciated skeletons of humans, deemed it sufficient, and promptly infused their bodies' circles and aura cores with thick death energy and jet-black mana.
“Aaaah... Kuaaaah!!!”
“P-please... spare...”
“Kuh...”
Witnessing the humans flopping like fish flung from water, violently rejecting the death energy, Carseion flashed a smile so chillingly radiant it sent shivers down the spine.
“Just endure a bit longer... A little more, and you'll become the most perfect beings, transcending even death.”
“Tch... Those filthy habits from your kingdom sorcerer days never left. Anyway, finish quickly.”
The Dullahan gripped the Soul-Reaping Crescent Blade slung at its horse's side and continued.
“Looks like those humans decided to come to us first.”