Boss Monster (4)
“Haha. It’s probably a guild you’ve never heard of—it’s pretty small. Right now, we’re just helping out the 61st wave summoners who recently joined as new recruits.”
Bae Han-seong stepped forward smoothly, as if he’d rehearsed it beforehand.
Kang Ha-rin narrowed her eyes at his words, scanning him up and down.
“Hmm. But your face looks kinda familiar for some reason.”
“I’ve seen you from afar a few times, Miss Ha-rin, but this is the first time we’ve actually spoken face-to-face.”
Bae Han-seong kept a perfectly innocent expression, hiding the fact that he was a member of Salvatore Guild.
Kang Ha-rin nodded with a thoughtful hmm.
“You look pretty strong yourself.”
She fixed him with a sharp gaze. Bae Han-seong was level 86—a far cry from what you’d expect in some no-name minor guild.
“Haha. Compared to you, Miss Ha-rin, I’m nothing.”
“Well, everyone’s got their own circumstances.”
Kang Ha-rin nodded and turned her attention away from him.
“Those three behind you—they’re the new recruits?”
She glanced at Yeong-sik’s group and asked. Bae Han-seong nodded in confirmation.
Her piercing eyes, like she was dissecting them, swept over the trio. Her gaze lingered on A-ra.
“Ho.”
She’d sensed something special in A-ra. Her eyes sparkled with intrigue as she grinned wolfishly.
A-ra took a cautious step back, eyeing her warily.
“Not sure what guild you’re from, but you reeled in a big one this time.”
She chuckled dryly at Bae Han-seong. He responded with a warm, affable smile.
“Hahaha. We got lucky. They’re all talented folks.”
“Hmm… The two guys are kinda iffy, though. Especially that one.”
Kang Ha-rin pointed straight at Yeong-sik as she spoke. He didn’t bother responding, just clamped his mouth shut.
It was true—among the party, he had the lowest level cap right now.
“He’s a talented summoner too.”
Bae Han-seong smiled brightly in reply. Kang Ha-rin shrugged with a casual yeah?, assuming he was just being prideful.
“Anyway, congrats on snagging some talent.”
She glanced at A-ra, who was half-hiding behind Yeong-sik, then added,
“Not that it’s anything compared to Tae-hwang.”
She turned to Cheon Tae-hwang with eyes brimming with pride.
Cheon Tae-hwang, who’d just massacred the lizardmen, stood waiting with his sword sheathed on his back. Among the summoners who’d come to this world over the past decade, he was one of the elite in raw talent.
And it wasn’t just his level cap. His obsession with getting stronger outstripped anyone else.
Tae-hwang will surpass me someday.
Kang Ha-rin watched him with a heated glint in her eyes. Every time she looked at him, her heart raced in a strange way.
She turned away from Bae Han-seong, clearly done with him.
“Got it. Just don’t hang around us too much—we’re in the middle of a mob pull.”
“Understood.”
Bae Han-seong bowed deeply and quickly retreated. Yeong-sik’s group followed him away from Cheon Tae-hwang and Kang Ha-rin.
“…Is that woman a ranker?”
A-ra asked, frowning slightly. Bae Han-seong nodded.
“Yes. A powerful summoner known as the White Sword.”
“Hmm. She rubs me the wrong way.”
A-ra recalled how openly Kang Ha-rin had dismissed Yeong-sik, her voice laced with displeasure.
Bae Han-seong chuckled softly.
“She’s not big on manners or formality, that’s for sure. But what can you do? She’s a top executive in one of the three great guilds and over level 100.”
Immense authority backed by matching power. At that level, expecting etiquette would feel off.
A-ra sighed, unable to argue.
“Anyway, let’s forget it and focus on what we’re here for.”
Yeong-sik stepped forward to break the heavy mood.
Gil-su and A-ra nodded. The hunt resumed.
Maybe because Cheon Tae-hwang was pulling mobs, there weren’t many lizardmen around, but with Bae Han-seong’s support, Yeong-sik’s group kept moving without rest, racking up kills.
Your level has risen to 8.
A welcome message appeared before Yeong-sik’s group after some steady hunting. Yeong-sik smiled contentedly at it.
With support, the pace is night and day.
It wasn’t quite ‘carry’ level, but potions resisting the swamp’s stifling humidity and fatigue-recovery magic alone boosted their hunting speed dramatically.
Level 8 now.
Yeong-sik opened his status window to check his stats.
Summoner Info
Name: Yeong-sik | Level: 8/25 | Class: Mechanical Engineer (Hidden)
HP: 211 | MP: 138
Skills:
[Structure Analysis: Lv 1] [Disassembly: Lv 1] [Extraction: Lv 1] [Manufacture: Lv 1]
Agility went up a lot.
His combat style relied on quick movements to hit vital spots, so it made sense that agility had risen naturally—nearly matching dexterity.
Haven’t used Manufacture lately.
Dexterity only rose with manufacture-related skills. Yeong-sik had been focusing on levels, not crafting, so it lagged.
Kinda disappointing.
Without combat skills, he needed strength for more damage, but his style didn’t rely on brute force, so it wasn’t rising well.
Guess I need to swing harder on purpose sometimes.
He turned to the others. A-ra and Gil-su were checking their own leveled-up status windows.
“Anything new?”
Yeong-sik asked A-ra, who was staring at hers.
“Got a new skill called Ice Spear, and Ice Arrow leveled up.”
“Oh? Skill level-up already? Those usually don’t rise until after level 15 with heavy use—impressive.”
Bae Han-seong looked at her in genuine surprise.
A-ra replied flatly,
“Probably my class specialty—cold magic proficiency rises fast.”
“Haha. Great news.”
Bae Han-seong eyed her with anticipation. Her growth was rapid even by old Salvatore standards.
“Hm…?”
As Han-seong and A-ra chatted, Yeong-sik scanned the area and spotted a crude tent amid distant vines.
He focused, and it zoomed in like a camera lens.
“What’s that?”
“A lizardman village.”
Bae Han-seong headed that way, then confirmed with narrowed eyes.
Yeong-sik swallowed a short grunt at ‘village.’
“Too much for us to wipe right now?”
“Yeah. If it’s a hundred-plus horde, even I’d be at risk.”
Bae Han-seong spoke lowly. Even a high-level like him could die against that many. And he wasn’t a combat class anyway—no need to risk it.
“Too dangerous—let’s move on.”
As Bae Han-seong turned,
Yeong-sik spotted an oddly armored lizardman emerging from the village.
“What’s that? Boss monster?”
Bae Han-seong grinned at it.
“Nah, not a boss. Looks like an elite lizardman.”
“Hmm.”
“Wanna try it? Rewards are decent even if not boss-tier.”
Bae Han-seong eyed the heavily armored, bulkier lizardman.
Yeong-sik nodded.
“Sure, let’s take it.”
He was after that full-body armor. Low-level scrap metal, sure, but way more parts than their scimitars.
The group tailed the elite and its four minions. Once far enough from the village, Bae Han-seong spoke.
“I’ll handle the four adds. Yeong-sik, focus the elite.”
They nodded. Yeong-sik signaled A-ra.
She prepped her new Ice Spear.
—Shuuuuk!
Blue mana extended from her, forming a frigid ice lance in midair.
“Ice Spear!”
She swung her staff at the elite. The two-meter spear shot forward rapidly.
—Kwajik!
“Kieeeek!”
The elite twisted with amazing reflexes, blocking with its scimitar. But shattering ice shards pelted it anyway.
It screeched in agony.
“Holy Strike!”
Bae Han-seong thrust his hand forward. Fist-sized light orbs flew at the minions.
—Peureok!
“Kki?”
One minion’s head exploded from a single spell. He chained magic, wiping all four before Gil-su reached the elite.
“Bulk Up!”
Gil-su charged the dazed elite, buffing and slamming his shield into it. It staggered wildly.
“Hup!”
Yeong-sik lunged, thrusting Blade at its side.
—Kang!
The armor was tougher than expected—Blade didn’t pierce.
The elite recovered, roaring ferociously and swinging at Yeong-sik.
—Kaang!
“Kuh!”
Gil-su intercepted with his shield at top speed, but the force rocked him hard.
“Kieeeek!”
—Chwaak!
“Ugh!”
The elite slashed upward viciously. Gil-su, off-balance, took it across the chest. Red blood trickled down.
“Ice Arrow!”
A-ra’s covering fire began. The elite recoiled from her magic instead of pressing Gil-su.
Yeong-sik eyed its movements sharply.
Need a vital spot.
Armor blocked Blade—hitting elsewhere was pointless. He breathed deep, tracking slowly.
“Kiii!”
The elite glared at A-ra and roared. She froze momentarily under its savage aura.
It charged her the instant her spells paused.
Now.
Ignoring Yeong-sik completely, it barreled toward A-ra. He circled behind, leaped high, clung to its back, and stabbed down at the unprotected neck.
—Puk!
“Kieeeek!”
Dark red blood sprayed as it thrashed.
Gil-su seized the opening.
“Smash!”
—Peureok!
He swung his axe full force. Blue-glowing blade cleaved its skull clean. It died without a final scream.
Elite Lizardman defeated.
872 EXP and 35 silver distributed by contribution.
“Kuh…”
Gil-su clutched his slashed chest, grunting. Yeong-sik approached.
“You okay, old man?”
“Don’t worry. Just a scratch.”
Gil-su forced a smile, gripping the wound.
“That’s no scratch—let me see.”
Bae Han-seong arrived late and extended a hand.
“Recovery!”
Pure white light poured into the gash. It knit rapidly.
“Won’t be full heal yet—stay put for a bit.”
“Got it.”
Gil-su nodded. Yeong-sik and A-ra sighed in relief.
While Gil-su rested, Yeong-sik approached the corpse and used Extraction.
“Extraction.”
Acquired 16 Metal Screws, 11 Metal Parts, 3 Metal Plates.
“Nice.”
Yeong-sik grinned at the haul—plenty for one kill. He eyed the scimitar for more,
but spotted a palm-sized wooden plank on the now-armless corpse.
He picked it up.
By order of the new leader, Luderak: Move to the designated location at sunset.
A crude swamp map was sketched beside the text.
“Luderak…?”
Yeong-sik frowned at the unfamiliar name.
Acquired quest: 'Lizardman Chief, Luderak'.