The Chimera Dimension
The moment they stepped into the fireplace, everything around them was swallowed by pitch blackness.
It felt like their entire bodies were spinning dozens of times in an empty void.
Thud!
Shanette clutched her forehead as she stood up.
This was the first time in her life she had ever felt this dizzy.
She shook her head and opened her eyes. A vast, dark space stretched out before her.
At the same time, the scene of Travelers battling chimeras filled her vision.
Clang!
Crunch!
Thump!
“Kyarrrk—!”
“Hey, now’s our chance!”
“Nice! Let’s finish this!”
A tall man drove his sword straight into the head of a grotesque chimera.
The chimera let out a monstrous shriek and collapsed to the floor.
Chimeras had utterly repulsive forms, as if every possible mixture of creatures had been mashed together.
Some had six legs, others three heads. Such variants were common here.
And Kang Yoonsoo’s group weren’t the only ones in the Chimera Dimension.
Dozens of people were fiercely hunting chimeras all around them.
Kang Yoonsoo took Shanette’s hand and helped her to her feet.
Though he must have felt the same dizziness, his face remained as composed as ever.
“Kyarrrk—!”
A pack of chimeras came charging with howls.
The chimeras on the first floor were roughly level 40.
Not particularly strong.
Shanette quickly drew her scythe.
Kang Yoonsoo extended his right arm.
Summon White, the White Wolf Monster
“Kaimaksiron—!”
With a savage roar, White the White Wolf Monster revealed himself.
The majestic presence of a boss monster was more than enough to draw every eye in the area.
Travelers who had been hunting chimeras in the distance cried out in alarm.
“What the—? Why is another monster suddenly popping out?”
“Aaaah! It’s a werewolf! Why are there monsters other than chimeras in the Chimera Dimension?”
Some even raised their weapons and aimed them this way, wary.
Kang Yoonsoo pointed at the chimeras.
“Kill them.”
“Urrnokr… whine!”
The silver collar around White’s neck trembled violently.
The Collar of Submission.
Since the taming was complete, disobedience would bring pain.
White bared his long fangs with a grinding sound and charged at the chimeras.
“Urrnokrra!”
“Kyarrrk—!”
The chimera attacked wildly, using its three legs and five heads.
But White tore its body apart in every direction with his razor-sharp claws.
After dispatching one chimera in the blink of an eye, the White Wolf Monster immediately turned and pounced on the next.
Having tasted fresh blood, his beastly ferocity had surged.
White slaughtered the chimeras at a terrifying speed.
“Hah!”
Shanette also cut down the chimeras that approached her.
Every swing of her scythe was followed by a spray of blood.
Kang Yoonsoo drew his greatsword and rushed toward the largest chimera.
“Kyaaaarrrrk—!”
He lightly dodged the chimera’s sweeping kick and swung his greatsword.
Splat—!
Blue blood exploded outward.
Kang Yoonsoo mercilessly carved through the chimeras with ferocious strikes.
The destructive power of his greatly enhanced greatsword far surpassed that of ordinary longswords.
Every swing produced a sharp sound as chimera bones shattered like dry twigs.
The combination of precise strikes targeting vital points and the overwhelming destructive force of the greatsword allowed him to transcend the level gap.
“Finally done! Good work, everyone.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
The Travelers who had finished their hunt on the other side wiped away their sweat and sat down heavily.
In the Chimera Dimension, once you killed one hundred chimeras on a floor, you could ascend to the next.
They waited to be summoned to the next floor while watching Kang Yoonsoo’s group fight.
One man who had been watching White tilted his head.
“Hey, that werewolf. Now that I look closely, it seems tamed, doesn’t it?”
“Tamed? What are you talking about? Even continental trainers struggle to tame a single deer.”
“But look at that. How could they fight together like that if it wasn’t tamed?”
“Hmm. Still, I’ve never heard of anyone taming a werewolf, even among continentals… Maybe he has a special taming skill? That metal collar around its neck looks unusually sturdy…”
They continued talking until they slowly faded away.
They had ascended to the next floor.
Soon, Kang Yoonsoo’s group finished their battle as well.
The area was littered with chimera remains, soaked in blue blood.
Kang Yoonsoo’s level rose by two, reaching 37.
You have slain 100 alchemical hybrid chimeras.
Would you like to ascend to the next floor?
Kang Yoonsoo postponed his answer.
“Grrrrr…!”
Meanwhile, White stood before a chimera corpse with his mouth hanging open.
After the fierce battle, his appetite had kicked in.
Kang Yoonsoo yanked hard on the collar and commanded,
“Don’t eat it.”
“Grrrrrrrrr…!”
White glared fiercely at Kang Yoonsoo before eventually backing down.
Once tamed, a monster fell under its owner’s control, but if the relationship of trust became too distorted, the taming itself could break.
Just because the taming was complete didn’t mean you could treat them like slaves.
Kang Yoonsoo rummaged through the chimera remains and picked up a pink fragment stone.
Shanette, who had been brushing her blood-soaked hair back, tilted her head.
“What is that?”
“Search them.”
The two of them thoroughly searched the chimera remains.
◈ The power source that gave birth to failed alchemical experiments known as chimeras. It contains faint life force. Its use is unknown, so its value is low.
Kang Yoonsoo gathered every heart stone and stored them in his backpack.
Multiple Corpse Revival
Within range, one hundred chimeras rose again as rotting undead.
The chimeras killed by others were usually in too poor a condition to be revived as undead.
The bizarre chimeras became even more hideous once turned into undead.
Using an undead legion for large-scale battles wasn’t a bad idea, but it reduced the experience gained.
I’ll use every undead I have in the final boss battle on the top floor.
He would fill the gaps in his forces with corpses.
That was the necromancer’s absolute advantage.
You have preserved 100 Evil Chimeras in the summoning dimension.
Current summons in the summoning dimension — 100 Evil Chimeras, 54 Dark Landworms, Salamander Sally.
Maximum number of preservable summons — 345
Kang Yoonsoo’s group ascended to the next floor.
The second floor of the Chimera Dimension featured stronger chimeras than the first.
They rarely died in a single blow, and even when they did, they thrashed wildly until the very end, clawing desperately.
The battle was far more intense than before.
Kang Yoonsoo extended his right arm and summoned a new creature.
Summon Salamander Sally
A curtain of flames fluttered as a young girl appeared.
The summoned Sally looked around curiously.
When she spotted White, the girl broke into a huge smile.
“Wow! It’s a doggy!”
As Sally laughed and ran toward him, White swung his claws roughly.
“Korunok! Makiron!”
“Uwaaah!”
At White’s violent attitude, Sally looked like she was about to burst into tears.
This was exactly the problem with multiple summons.
When several summons were called at once, they often failed to coordinate, disrupting the flow of battle.
The stronger the summon, the more difficult its temperament, so it also tested the owner’s ability.
“Sally, wrap flames around our weapons.”
“Hiiing. Flame Armament!”
Thick flames wrapped around Kang Yoonsoo’s greatsword, Shanette’s scythe, and White’s claws.
Weapons imbued with a spirit’s flames saw a massive increase in power.
When Kang Yoonsoo swung his greatsword, a small but fierce flame storm erupted.
The combination of his swordsmanship and the power of the flames produced terrifying destructive force.
Chimeras were crushed and caved in, while fierce flames spread across whatever remained.
“Kyaaaarrrrk!”
The chimeras died screaming in agony.
The people watching Kang Yoonsoo’s group fight could not help but be shocked once again.
“Not just a werewolf, but now a spirit too?”
“Spirits rarely reveal their true forms, right?”
“Oh my god, what on earth is that guy’s class?”
The people stared in utter bewilderment.
Traveler, continental, monster, spirit.
What in the world was this unheard-of combination?
You have slain 100 alchemical hybrid chimeras.
Would you like to ascend to the next floor?
Kang Yoonsoo postponed his answer once again.
His level rose by six more, reaching 43.
He and Shanette searched the chimera corpses and collected the heart stones.
After recovering his mana to the maximum, Kang Yoonsoo revived the chimera corpses as undead.
The people looked on in horror.
“What? Now he’s even using necromancer skills?”
“Who the hell is this guy?”
Kang Yoonsoo sent the Evil Chimeras into the summoning dimension.
One man who had finished fighting approached Kang Yoonsoo.
“My name is Lee Kang-hyun. Excuse me, but may I ask your name?”
“Kang Yoonsoo.”
“I’ve been watching you. Your swordsmanship is extraordinary. Would you consider joining us? Our party has four level 70 swordsmen and one sorcerer.”
Lee Kang-hyun made a generous offer.
However, Kang Yoonsoo’s level was only in the early 40s, far below theirs.
In truth, the silver mane wrist guards he had obtained from the ruins had boosted his lacking strength, and his exceptional swordsmanship had created the illusion.
Before Kang Yoonsoo could even shake his head, a tall, gaunt man approached and placed a hand on Lee Kang-hyun’s shoulder.
Judging by the robe and the staff at his waist, he was the sorcerer.
“Kang-hyun, drop it.”
“Huh? But…”
“That man’s level is much lower than ours. His skill is greater than ours, though.”
“What? Han-yul hyung, what do you mean?”
While Lee Kang-hyun stood there confused, Kang Yoonsoo slowly nodded.
“He’s right.”
The people around them were inwardly surprised.
They had assumed from his swordsmanship that he must be quite high level.
The man called Han-yul approached and looked at Kang Yoonsoo.
“I am Shin Han-yul. Nice to meet you. Kang Yoonsoo, you certainly seem different from the average rabble.”
Kang Yoonsoo did not answer.
Shin Han-yul continued without minding.
“We’re aiming for the boss monster of the Chimera Dimension. You’re after the same thing, aren’t you?”
Kang Yoonsoo slowly nodded.
The Chimera Dimension was a hidden hunting ground known to only a tiny fraction of adventurers.
Even if one obtained clues about this place, they had to complete the alchemist clan’s secret request and decipher the code.
Some stayed on a floor and continued hunting, but most were aiming for the boss monster.
A rumor had spread that the boss monster possessed a rare sword.
However, the chimeras grew stronger with each floor, and countless parties were wiped out before reaching the fifth floor.
No one had yet conquered the boss monster on the top floor.
“Let’s meet on the fifth floor. I don’t know who will reach the top first.”
With those words, Shin Han-yul left with his party.
As his blue cloak fluttered, the white lion emblem on his back was revealed.
Someone exclaimed in awe.
“The White Lion Clan! That man was from the White Lion Clan!”
The White Lion Clan.
Among the currently active Traveler clans, it was one of the most prominent.
A significant number of high-level Travelers belonged to the White Lion Clan, and its reputation was outstanding.
In particular, the leader of the White Lion Clan was renowned for his competence and was even known to some continental nobles.
The White Lion Clan occupied the upper ranks of power and was the largest among Traveler clans.
Rumors said that clan members received high-performance items at certain level milestones.
Shanette, who was standing beside him, asked,
“Is the clan he belongs to really that amazing?”
“It is.”
Kang Yoonsoo watched Shin Han-yul’s retreating figure.
On the fluttering robe, the white lion roared toward the throne.
The white lion’s eyes were a clear, pristine white.
“But I’m the one who will take it down.”