Dungeon Steal (2): More Than Just Suspicious?
I felt my heart pounding for the first time just from reading the chat message.
(Me: 99%, no, this is 100%! Whoa, so that's what Kaiser was talking about!)
(Yeon Woo: Huh? Who? Sandro-nim, do you know Kaiser-nim?)
(Me: It's not like we know each other well—we just ended up chatting briefly. He mentioned that a chance to get a titan through a quest or dungeon would soon appear in Tayen.)
The titan's appearance was unmistakable—anyone could tell at a glance it was a titan. Even though only two had been revealed so far, no one would mistake the massive steel knight forged from metal for something like an iron golem of similar size.
Considering that no titan had ever appeared as a boss mob anywhere until now, this newly discovered dungeon was undoubtedly the first one where a titan could be obtained.
If Illusion had any brains, they wouldn't let you get a titan every clear. So, naturally, the titan goes to the first clear team, right?
Given Illusion's thorough approach to completion, this was a reasonable guess. Some items already had precedents like that.
(Me: Huh?)
Come to think of it, in our so-called three-person alliance with Last Chance, I'd been taking way more than giving—especially to Yeon Woo-nim.
(Me: Yeah, just say the word. That's easier for me too.)
She'd chosen the shield knight path that few women picked, but I hadn't realized she was eyeing a titan too. It was a bit much since it wasn't free, but if it was later, maybe I could swing it. Right now, at the early stage, preventing Taeseong from getting it was more valuable than us grabbing it ourselves.
The recent fiasco where I'd rushed to take down Darius only for Hellfire to suffer big time had made me reflect hard. After getting the Holy Sword, I'd played solely with my own safety in mind, thinking death meant game over for me. Even digging traps, I'd unconsciously assumed I was safe, getting lax on allies' safety.
But now I was a guild master with people under me—not alone anymore. And Yeon Woo-nim wasn't just words; she was a true benefactor. I didn't want anyone hurt by my rashness again, so her safety came first this time.
(Me: Oh right! How’d you know the location?)
(Me: Ah! You had the whole plan before whispering me! No suspicion on you then—great idea!)
(Me: Of course. Tayen’s best are always on standby.)
The guild chat looked good—everyone could join. We weren't built for this, but having comrades who rallied at a word felt reassuring.
Solo, I'd never dream of first-clearing a high-level instance...
PK I could handle alone, no problem. But instances—except rare ones—weren't for solo. Especially Taeseong's top rankers failing one—the highest difficulty out there.
(Me: Yep. Confirmed they're field-spawning, tailing now.)
Thanks to Yeon Woo-nim's tip, I'd found Il Do Yang Dan and his crew. As a knight ranker and Darius's cousin, he seemed to get heavy roles despite his skills.
Poor Il Do Yang Dan... Gonna get chewed out by your boss cuz of me again today.
Il Do Yang Dan rode his summon across Desra Desert, oblivious. Looked like a 6-man instance limit—five users with him.
I trailed from afar, using quick moves occasionally in stealth. My speed was fast, but keeping up hidden on a summon was tough, so distance it was. They ignored field mobs mostly, but stopped for must-kills, letting me catch up.
Twenty minutes crossing the desert, they finally stopped and unsummoned.
Spot: One of the ruined sites common in western Desra Desert. Past crumbled buildings to an altar, a blue instance portal shimmered—activated by them.
Here it is!
How much quest grinding to activate that closed portal? That first-clear reward was theirs by right—for their effort.
But on my radar? Their luck today was ours instead.
"We can clear it this time, right?"
"If not, gotta call the lord. But since he got the Demon Sword, he won't come out to bumfuck fields like this."
Taeseong party—healer, mage, warrior, archer with Il Do Yang Dan—chatted by the portal, unaware I was right there.
"He'll be busy recovering levels for a bit. And if this dungeon's reward is really that, he doesn't need it anyway."
"Meaning the lord believes we'll clear it? Yeah, after fails, we're getting the hang. Honestly, who else in Tayen could clear this but us?"
Not wrong. Taeseong elites always snagged first clears and boss kills.
Still yapping arrogantly, huh? Wish I could retort...
But I held back for the moment.
"Enough chit-chat—we did that on the way. Let's go. Focus on boss paths—no mistakes! Got it?"
"Yep!"
"Alright. Finally becoming a titan rider today! I'm going in first."
Il Do Yang Dan reminded the party and stepped through first.
Moment he passed, I dropped stealth, self-buffed, and hit the sole healer Hill Bottle first.
Covert Strike!
"What the—?!"
Skill nailed Hill Bottle's back perfectly as he approached the portal. But ranker reflexes—he spun, guarded rear, backpedaled with moving self-heal.
"Sandro! He's backstabbing!"
"Shield! Sleep!"
Quickly, mage Hong Dang Mu shielded Hill Bottle and CC'd me. But as always, magic resisted.
"Oho, not bad? Been studying me, huh?"
Mana Shield blocked physical ailments, not magic ones. Smart plan: mez me with Sleep, surround, unload killers. Solid strat.
But my all-mana stats fixed that flaw from the start. Single-minded mana build till top levels gave unmatched magic defense— their CCs just burned MP pointlessly.
I ignored Hong Dang Mu's spells and the warrior's leaf attack closing in, sticking to the healer with combos and autos.
"Get this guy off me quick! Holy Barrier!"
"Hyungnim Il Do Yang Dan! Come out fast!"
"How'd this psycho find us?!"
Hong Dang Mu cursing like old times. Ranker skills flying, but I kept at the hard-to-kill healer, tossing alibis too.
"Been PKing your Taeseong asses since yesterday—miss this clustered bait?!"
"Ugh, that leech bastard! Wind Cutter!"
CC resists forced her to DPS. I Shadow Step'd in place to dodge, kept healer pressure.
"No! I'm out of HP! Stun or knockback him!"
"Won't stick—what ya want?! But thief tankiness? This guy's a total freak!"
My MP topped 40k. With Mana Shield reduction, effective HP over 160k—like six knight-level HPs. Insane.
I tanked hits with this bulk, laser-focused on healer. Flashy moves, but my speed overwhelmed—he died miserably amid healthy allies.
Whoosh.
Through his ashing body, I dashed to Hong Dang Mu with combos.
"Kyaa!"
One hit, she blinked behind me, popped Mana Shield. Ranker speed and judgment.
As I turned, warrior blocked path. Ignored him, chased her—but unlike healer, she clutched: blinked near portal, dove in.
"Always the survivors who excel at that..."
Never planned to kill her anyway. Priority: healer down. Hill Bottle dead, others surviving? Whatever.
Mid-desert, no healer? Il Do Yang Dan's party failed before starting.