The Dark Magic Palace
The A-rank gate raid schedule had been thrown together out of nowhere.
“Pick one from these.”
Hey.
Boss Baek.
Why the hell is there an A-rank gate on the contract list?
“I figured you’d be like this, Hunter.”
He must have read the look in my eyes, because he answered before I even asked.
“Like what?”
“B-rank wouldn’t satisfy you, would it?”
“We just expanded our forces recently.”
“With the support team backing you up, weren’t you planning to jump straight into A-rank?”
Yikes.
He’d seen right through me.
Even when my rank was lower, I’d loved overpacing clears with Sir Isra alone. Now our combat power had grown by leaps and bounds. So why not give it a shot?
Overpace clear!
“Since it’s your first time, how about starting with an easier one?”
Seongsu stuck his tongue out.
“Is ‘easy’ even compatible with A-rank?”
“It’s Hunter Park, after all.”
“True. It’s hyung, so yeah.”
That was enough to convince him?
Even if I was willing to push myself, the support team was risking their lives coming in with us.
“You already beat an A-rank hunter, didn’t you?”
“Well, yeah, that’s true.”
“Sir Isra alone can project Aura. Shouldn’t that be enough?”
“Hahaha. There is none who can stop My Lord’s First Sword.”
Why was the embarrassment always my share?
Haa.
“A-rank does make me a little nervous, though.”
“W-well, with hyung here, it might be fine.”
“We’re not going to die, are we?”
Even if the mood had cooled a bit from when we’d clinked glasses and talked big, not a single hunter backed out.
Yeah.
Saying it was fine while sober counted for something.
“Looks like it’s been around for a while.”
“Yes. They say the clear difficulty is high, so it’s been lingering for a long time.”
As the name suggested, it was a corridor-type gate. The internal structure shifted at set intervals, making it a pain to clear.
“Shall we see what it tastes like?”
“You don’t need to clear it on the first entry.”
“I won’t push it.”
Just a little poke, that’s all.
And if the poke went all the way through and punched a hole, that wasn’t my fault.
Definitely not!
Whoosh!
A corridor-type gate.
Torches mounted along the walls crackled and cast light through the interior.
“This reminds me of when I first met you, hyung.”
“In the Challenging Realm, right?”
“At first I was depressed thinking we’d drawn a dud because it was a corridor type. Really, you never know how life will turn out.”
Seongsu was reminiscing about a few months ago.
True enough. I never expected the connection from back then to last this long either.
That’s why they say no one knows what life will bring.
Mijeong stuck her tongue out.
“The corridor’s a lot bigger than back then, though?”
“Built to match a minotaur’s frame, I suppose.”
Shiiing—
Sir Isra drew her sword and stepped to the front, taking the vanguard as naturally as always.
But that was a problem today.
“Iron-head. Master said he’s testing the performance of the new undead he made.”
“Ah! Aah!”
Sword in hand, Sir Isra froze in an awkward half-step.
This time it was her mistake.
“Zaug. Found any peculiarities?”
“Just give me a little time, if you please. I should have it soon enough, sir.”
A maze type that reconfigured on a set cycle.
The reason we’d charged in without hesitation was because we had Zaug.
Eagle Eye.
The ability to dismantle traps installed in ancient ruins and read the structure!
“No traps, so we can proceed, sir.”
Thud— thud—
Multiple sets of footsteps echoed down the corridor.
“Hyung. Do you know the minotaur’s traits?”
“Just that it’s a large species.”
“Seven meters tall. Stronger than an ogre, and its durability is excellent.”
“Boss made you study ahead?”
“……Yes.”
The moment he heard we were doing an A-rank clear yesterday, he’d drilled it into them.
Anyway, impressive. Truly impressive.
Both Boss Baek for assigning it, and Seongsu for absorbing it in that short time.
Minotaurs were the textbook tank type.
“If your Aura concentration is low, it gets blocked by the muscle.”
Their bulk made vital points hard to target, and their bodies were so sturdy that landing effective hits was difficult. Even a single allowed blow meant a critical wound.
For an A-rank monster they were sluggish—that was the weakness—but their durability was so high they moved on the premise of tanking hits, making them a tricky opponent.
“Worry not, My Lord. There is nothing my Aura cannot cut.”
Sir Isra laughed heartily.
How long had we walked?
Zaug raised his right hand sharply.
“Shadow. From the shape, it’s a cow monster, sir.”
A faint silhouette just barely draped over the corner.
Something you’d only notice if you focused hard—and he’d spotted it instantly?
“As expected of a professional thief.”
“This humble servant is an archaeologist, sir.”
To loot ancient ruins you’d need at least that much, I suppose.
“Even a thief has his uses.”
Not a single one of my subordinates treated Zaug as an archaeologist.
I silently agreed.
Even in life, he hadn’t given off a single gram of archaeologist vibes.
Pretending not to notice the reaction, Zaug fussed with the wall, then shook his head.
“Avoidance or ambush seems impossible, sir.”
“Why turn back?”
“When looting—ah, exploring ruins, the basic principle is to avoid risk as much as possible, sir.”
Look at the true feelings slipping out.
And besides.
“We’re here to clear the gate.”
Just because it was a maze type didn’t mean it was actually some kind of ruin. The gate where we’d found Zaug had been the unusual one.
“We don’t have time to backtrack if we want to finish before the interior changes.”
Rex burst out of the shadows.
“Kwarururu!!”
The moment it was summoned it dropped its jaw wide and radiated pure presence.
“Huk!”
“What is that monster?!”
“Everyone behind me!”
“Ah. What magic should I…?”
The support team half-panicked under Predator—Rex’s pressure.
Oops.
I should have explained before calling it out.
“New servant I made.”
“Hic.”
“It’s a little scary.”
An undead even larger than the Abyss Revenant or Enhanced Draco. Even in this fairly wide corridor it felt like it filled the space completely.
“Go.”
“Kwarururu!”
Boom! Boom! When Rex lifted its feet the entire corridor shook as if an earthquake had hit.
The shadow draped over the corner rippled.
If it didn’t notice something this loud, that would be the real problem.
“Mmmmuuuuuu!”
Confirming the intruders, the minotaur let out a great bellow and gripped its weapon. Torchlight reflected off the double-bladed axe and flared wildly.
The minotaur kicked off the floor and charged head-on.
It looked like a clash of giant beasts.
Kra-crack!
The double-bladed axe buried itself in Rex’s shoulder.
“Ack!”
A scream of repair-cost anxiety burst out of me.
Ever since inheriting the Heavenly Martial Body, my undead never just tanked hits like that. Why was this one taking it straight on?
“Kwaruru!”
With the axe still lodged in its body, Rex opened its maw wide.
Crunch. A chunk of the minotaur’s shoulder vanished.
Blood poured like a waterfall.
“Mmmmuuu!”
Even with one arm hanging limp, the minotaur didn’t lose its fighting spirit and tried to yank the axe free with its remaining arm.
“Mmmmuu?”
The blue-edged blade wouldn’t come out.
First reason: Rex’s body was that hard.
Kak!
Second: its long, hook-like claws had clamped onto the axe and refused to let go.
In the brief instant the minotaur’s movement locked up, Rex’s free hand plunged into its chest and punched straight through to the heart.
“U-uh, mmmmuuuuu…….”
The light in the minotaur’s eyes faded.
Thud.
The seven-meter bulk collapsed bonelessly.
“To drop a monster that even Aura users struggle with in under ten seconds…”
Seongsu.
Sorry.
You must have stayed up late studying for this.
My servants are just outside the standard.
“I forgot that common sense doesn’t apply to hyung.”
“Seongsu. That’s why I said you didn’t need to study.”
“If I don’t, the boss chews me out.”
“Ugh. The boss’s lectures are pretty scary.”
At the mention of the boss, the color drained from the support team’s faces.
Boss.
Just what kind of person are you…
“Kwarururu!”
Rex planted a foot on the minotaur’s corpse, roared, then opened its mouth wide.
Chomp, chomp.
“Huh?”
Uhhhhh?
You. Why are you eating that!
Predatory Cannibalize
Bubble-bubble. Foam erupted from the wounds left by the double-bladed axe, and the injuries healed in an instant.
“Wait! Stop!”
“Kwaruru?”
“You can’t eat the whole thing!!”
I got that the regeneration was excellent.
But still.
Do you know how hard it is to get an intact large-species corpse these days!
Ask Roan for healing, or I can repair it myself.
Lately large-species corpses have gotten scarce on the hunter market. Probably because I bought too many trying to meet the activation conditions for the Giant’s Tomb.
“Kwaruruk.”
Rex’s eyes drooped.
It wasn’t sulking from one scolding, was it?
“Aww. You still did great. Took down a minotaur like it was nothing.”
“Kwarururu!”
Rex immediately perked up and started bouncing around.
Boom! Boom!
In a closed corridor the noise doubled.
Draco was like this too—this one was basically a dog as well.
About a third of the minotaur corpse had evaporated. Still useful enough, so I stashed it in the Death Space. Extra material for repairs or modifications later.
“Zaug. Shall we pick up the pace?”
“Understood, Great Lord.”
Monsters were no match.
The only opponent left was time.
SSS rank.
Worth aiming for, right?
“Mmmmuuuuu!”
“Kwaruru!”
The bull-headed giant didn’t last long before collapsing in a spray of blood.
Rex charged without the slightest regard for its own injuries. Being already dead, it felt no pain. Its specs already surpassed a minotaur’s, and since it couldn’t die even with an axe blade buried in a vital spot…
“Kwarururu!”
It was a one-sided slaughter every time.
“Hyung. Demon Eye.”
“Hide behind Rex.”
A monster whose eyeball made up eighty percent of its body.
Demon Eyes had to be handled carefully. They concentrated mana in the eye and projected it as a beam, so crossing gazes was dangerous.
Disintegration Beam
Sizzle!
The purple beam slammed into Rex’s hide and went no further.
One trait of primeval species was overwhelming physical ability. Their mana stats were pitifully low, but their defense and magic resistance more than made up for it.
“Sir Isra.”
“Leave it to me.”
Slash!
Sir Isra closed the distance in a single breath and swung. The Demon Eye tumbled across the floor in neatly severed pieces.
If I’d left it to Rex, only crushed meat would have remained.
“Three paths.”
“Middle one, Great Lord.”
Zaug guided us with practiced ease.
How long had we been exploring and fighting?
“Mmmmuuuuuu!”
Minotaur Guard.
We had come face-to-face with this gate’s boss monster.
How much time had passed?
“All-out assault.”
We didn’t absolutely need an SSS clear.
But I wanted it, didn’t I?
Setting records was irresistible.
“Yes, sir!”
“Leave it to us.”
"Dark. Veil."
“Kwarururu!”
My subordinates burned with fighting spirit.
“This humble servant will cheer from the sidelines, sir!”
Everyone except one.
“If possible, leave the corpse intact.”
The final condition to activate the Giant’s Tomb.
When it hit 99%, the requirement for a Giant-species boss monster corpse had appeared. We could fill it right here.
A short while later.
Kuuuuung!
You have cleared the Dark Magic Palace.
An A-rank gate.
Pretty easy, right?