I'll Make the Ultimate Bomb!
"I'll make the ultimate bomb!" Gabriel resolved, fleeing with his comrades.
Someone on the forum with sharp eyes posted a video. They had filmed Gabriel rushing at Tae-hyun in Genoma City.
The people gossiping about the relationship between Tae-hyun and Gabriel immediately rushed to the link.
Everyone expected Gabriel to be caught soon, but he defied expectations. He successfully evaded the guilds' pursuit.
For a while, people talked about where and how Gabriel and the blacksmiths had fled, but they never showed themselves again. Since the guild they hit wasn't particularly prominent, the incident was quickly forgotten.
You are the first to enter the dungeon. You receive an additional bonus.
Your Reputation increases.
"The name..."
"Actually sounds rather ominous..."
Players who had fought in the Demon Realm a few times felt uneasy upon seeing the message window. The standards of the Demon Realm were vastly different from those of the continent!
"O living ones, leave your lives behind!"
"Ah, it's a skeleton."
"That one looks weak? Is it because it's the entrance... cough!"
One of the guild members was sent flying by the skeleton's attack, even though it hit their shield!
You have been stunned by a powerful impact.
The skeleton was scrawny, holding a battered steel greatsword. It didn't look like a high-level monster, but the attack was real!
"Ed got blown away?!"
"Is that a Death Knight, not a skeleton?!"
The guild members entered combat in shock. It was a Demon Realm dungeon—an extremely rare opportunity, despite the high difficulty.
And they weren't alone. The Demer Church and Tae-hyun's party were with them.
Rumble!
Golden lightning poured from the sky, striking the skeleton. It was an attack powerful enough to make even that mighty skeleton warrior howl in pain!
"Aaaargh! It hurts! It hurts!"
It was Yong-yong's attack. As a divine beast with the Holy attribute, he was optimized for fighting in the Demon Realm.
There was a reason Tae-hyun hadn't summoned Yong-yong until entering the dungeon.
"What? Archisus? Why are you bringing up that dog-like name!"
"If you even utter the letter 'A' of Archisus, I will rip out your tongue and eat it!"
The demons convulsed with rage at the mere mention of Archisus. It was a deep-seated hatred that was hard to pry into. Thus, Tae-hyun had to hide his connection to Archisus as much as possible. Cain did too.
"Th-that is a divine beast!"
"It must be the divine beast of the Archisus Church! Look at that beautiful figure!"
Yong-yong shrugged his wings as he flew through the dungeon. Tae-hyun felt like Yong-yong's size had somehow increased.
Huh?
The divine beast grows by defeating a demon hostile to Archisus.
...Why are you eating that?
I-I didn't eat it on purpose!
Tae-hyun usually monopolized the EXP. Even when hunting with Yong-yong. If he gave EXP to Yong-yong, the dragon could grow, but Tae-hyun had kept him at a moderate level of recovery and focused on his own growth because he didn't know how much EXP Yong-yong needed to fully recover his true Gold Dragon form. Tae-hyun's class already had a harsh EXP penalty, so sharing EXP would have left him at a low level.
But now, Yong-yong was absorbing EXP automatically. EXP that should have gone to Tae-hyun!
His power is flowing into me on its own, Master!
Why is that?
Tae-hyun tilted his head. Usually, he could choose... What was the relationship between these monsters and the Archisus Church?
The dying skeleton kindly answered:
"This attack... could it be, Archisus?!"
What on earth did Archisus do in this Demon Realm that even a monster in a corner dungeon knows his name?
Skeleton: "Hehehe... A believer of Archisus has come to the Demon Realm. You had better commit suicide right now. If the demons find out about you, they will never let you die easily—gack!"
"Why does a dying bastard talk so much? Die. Just die."
Thud, thud! Tae-hyun beat the skeleton, hoping to get some leftover EXP, but no system message appeared. It broke his heart.
"At least drop a Soul Stone. Drop it and die!"
"..."
Priest Haron, who was buffing Tae-hyun from behind, stared at him with a dubious expression. No matter how he looked at him, Tae-hyun seemed more like a thug than a hero!
"Yong-yong, back off for a bit!"
"You're petty, Master!"
"Your level is higher than mine!"
Yong-yong's level was already over 100, while Tae-hyun was still in the 70s.
Tae-hyun swung his sword desperately to prevent Yong-yong from stealing his kills.
Yong-yong's lightning grazed the nearly dead skeleton warrior.
The divine beast grows by defeating a demon hostile to Archisus.
*Burp.*
"..."
Ah! Master, that sound just now was a mistake!
The mistake was you hitting it!
Yong-yong got the EXP just for landing the last hit. He had priority on EXP here.
Tae-hyun worried: Is it just because of the Demon Realm? If we hunt outside, Yong-yong won't steal it, right? If he does, that's a real problem...
Tae-hyun: If this keeps up, my class should be changed to Dragon Tamer, not Pope!
If Yong-yong ate EXP with just one hit, Tae-hyun couldn't use him properly.
Crack!
Skeleton Mages emerged from the shadows.
"The hand of death shall descend upon you!"
A curse flew out. Unavoidable!
Movement speed is reduced.
HP is decreasing.
Tae-hyun's weakness: unavoidable curse attacks. They were fast and guaranteed to hit, though low in damage. But in a Demon Realm dungeon, even a skeleton mage's curse was devastating.
Tae-hyun's feet froze.
Priest Haron: "Unconditional Curse Dispel!"
Skeleton Mage: "Kahahahat! Priest, doing such a thing is meaningless!"
"Beguiling Pit of the Demon Realm!"
A black sphere neutralized Haron's buff.
"Attack that guy! He's the leader!"
"He can't move!"
The skeleton mages targeted Tae-hyun. They were smart, learning from the battle.
But Tae-hyun had another way.
Slave's Devotion
Cain!
The skill transferred all debuffs to Cain. Cain's feet froze solid, and Tae-hyun, freed, rushed the mages. Close combat was a mage's weakness!
Thud, thud, thud! Tae-hyun beat them joyfully.
"Aaaargh!"
"How dare this minion of Archisus! I will tell your name to the demons!"
Tae-hyun interrupted their casting with rapid attacks, and if they used instant curses, he read them with Lucky Strike and sent them back. Tae-hyun unleashed all his burst skills: Lucky Strike, Critical Explosion, etc.
Boom, boom, boom!
The Black Rock Sect guild members watched in awe.
"He doesn't need anyone else. He can win alone?"
"Truly amazing...!"
But Tae-hyun's inner thoughts: I have to finish them all before this damn dragon eats my EXP!
Yong-yong: Master... even if you don't do that, I'm just staying still...
Tae-hyun: W-what do you mean?
Tae-hyun wiped his cold sweat.
Despite Tae-hyun's efforts, Yong-yong's growth was spectacular. If Tae-hyun got 1, Yong-yong got 10.
Monsters in dungeons didn't fight fair; they came from everywhere. Yong-yong had to fight. Even when the Black Rock Sect or Demer Church fought, splash damage from Yong-yong's wide-range attacks often stole the kills.
"..."
M-Master. You're not angry, right?
I'm not angry.
Then why aren't you looking at me! Master! It's not my fault!
Yong-yong's golden scales seemed to glisten even more brilliantly.