Hell Mole Horde
The Awakeners entered the dungeon.
As expected, the dungeon was a maze-like cave.
Paths branched off in every direction like an ant den, making it impossible to pinpoint any one route. But none of those who had entered showed the slightest sign of panic.
They had a guide.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Shuhan stepped forward from the Inazuma raid team.
Shuhan was an experienced guide.
Dosuyeol was fairly capable as a guide himself, but he couldn't compare to Shuhan in terms of rank or experience.
Aware of his own shortcomings, Dosuyeol had yielded the vanguard to Shuhan.
Shuhan sniffed the air and muttered.
"Sniff sniff! What a foul stench."
"How bad?"
"Putrid! Haven't smelled anything this rank in ages."
"I see."
Kouji's eyes darkened.
He trusted his guide, Shuhan, implicitly.
Any dungeon Shuhan called foul-smelling was bound to be extremely dangerous.
He addressed the other Awakeners.
"You heard him? Stay sharp."
"Yes!"
"Got it!"
The Awakeners tensed up.
Though they had entered the dungeon together, they weren't one team.
The Inazuma raid team, Jack's raid team, and the Awakeners conscripted from the slums.
Different identities, different goals.
They couldn't unite as one.
Naturally, they split into three groups.
Zeon joined Jack's raid team.
"Let's move."
The Inazuma raid team took the lead with Shuhan at the front, followed by Jack's team, then the slum Awakeners.
Zeon walked at the rear of Jack's team.
His sharp eyes scanned the cave.
The whole cave is made of sandstone. About three meters high, similar width. Those marks on the walls—claw scratches?
They might seem trivial at a glance, but such details revealed a wealth of information.
Suddenly, Zeon's gaze fixed on a small stain on the wall.
It looked like a shadow from the light at first, but Zeon knew better instantly.
Rock worm moss?
There was a fungus called cordyceps.
It parasitized insects in winter and sprouted like grass in summer—hence the name.
Rock worm moss was named after it, for similar reasons.
It parasitized monsters on rocks but rooted into the sand like moss on sandstone.
Even on the same rock, it struggled on compacted sandstone.
It posed no direct threat to humans.
But it's prime feed for certain monsters.
Zeon recalled the monsters that went wild for rock worm moss.
Size to navigate these tunnels freely. Claw marks on the walls. Rock worm moss. Looks like that's the dungeon's owner.
In an instant, Zeon had identified the dungeon boss.
He called out to Kouji to share the intel.
"Hey!"
"Shh! Didn't you hear? Silence in the dungeon until I say otherwise."
Kouji shot Zeon a contemptuous glare.
The others did the same.
"Tch."
Zeon clicked his tongue softly and fell back.
He'd done his part anyway.
What happened next was on them—no guilt there.
Then Kouji signaled Shuhan.
Figured out what monsters live here?
Shuhan shook his head in response.
They were barely at the entrance.
Too little info to pinpoint the monsters yet.
Shuhan advanced cautiously.
Any monster could burst out from the dungeon depths.
Spotting it first and alerting the team was part of his job.
Sniff sniff!
Shuhan sampled the air.
One passage reeked especially sour.
Avoid this one.
These spots were prime monster nests.
He led the group down the least offensive path.
Halfway through, it happened.
Krunch!
A strange noise hit Shuhan's ears.
He shouted.
"Monster ahead! Battle stations, everyone!"
No sooner had he spoken than two glowing points appeared down the passage.
Everyone knew those were monster eyes.
Kouji issued the order.
"Yuri! Hit it."
"On it!"
Yuri swung her fan with her reply.
Wind blades sliced through the air.
Boom!
The blades struck the monster's head dead-on.
The impact sent it shrieking to the ground.
Squeee!
Yuri frowned at the echoing cry and muttered.
"Piece of cake."
She was a wind mage—called herself a wind sorceress. She had total confidence in her wind magic.
Monsters like this were a snap for her.
"From the reaction, just a D-rank at best."
"Good! Push hard."
"This dungeon won't be much trouble."
The Awakeners' faces lit up at Yuri's words.
An Awakener like her was basically a monster gauge.
She could gauge rank from the feedback on her attacks.
D-rank monsters meant the boss was C-rank tops.
They had more than enough firepower for that.
Tension melted from their faces.
Kouji checked the fallen monster first.
"Looks like a giant mole."
The beast Yuri downed resembled a mole.
Two meters tall, over four meters nose-to-tail—a massive mole.
Then Zeon, who had stayed silent, spoke up.
"It's called a Hell Mole."
"You know what it is?"
Kouji eyed Zeon in surprise.
Zeon sighed and explained.
"Hell Moles have intense pack loyalty. Kill one, and the whole clan swarms for revenge."
"That's... not great."
"The problem's the numbers. Hundreds at least, thousands in a big clan."
"Hundreds? Thousands?"
Kouji's brow twitched—
Shuhan yelled urgently.
"Boss! Monster presences all around."
"What?"
"Hurry! They're closing in."
"Battle stations!"
As Kouji barked the order—
Kieee!
Grrrrawr!
Hell Moles poured from every crevice.
The ant-den tunnels filled with the horde, leaving the Awakeners slack-jawed.
"What the—?"
"This is insane!"
The Hell Moles charged the killers of their kin, radiating pure malice.
Mole-like bodies, but horse-speed charges.
Their huge claws were the real weapons—slicing rock like tofu.
"Fuck!"
"Hold the line! Breach means wipe!"
The Awakeners held passages against the advance.
Boom! Kra-boom!
Explosions rocked the cave.
Skills flew: aura blades swung, spells hurled.
Hell Moles screamed and fell.
But the Awakeners' faces stayed grim.
Endless reinforcements.
Hell Moles feared no death, like most monsters.
Spilled blood fueled their frenzy, turning grief to madness.
The berserk moles lunged wildly.
Another issue.
"Damn! C-ranks mixed in."
The D-rank swarm hid multiple C-ranks.
Boom! Pop!
They tanked hits bare-skinned, closed in, and shredded attackers.
Slash!
"Argh!"
"Gah!"
Blood sprayed as Awakeners fell; moles swarmed and devoured.
Dozens vanished into bellies in seconds.
Zeon watched coldly.
That's why Hell Moles are a headache. Terrain favors them, fearless frenzy, tanky hides ignoring most attacks.
Pack monsters were tricky.
Beat them by knowing their habits and prepping perfectly—but blind aggression caused this mess.
Hell Moles closed on idle Zeon too.
Two C-ranks, three D-ranks. Solid force.
Grooo!
With signature shrieks, claws slashed.
Then fierce flames erupted from Zeon.
The blinding blaze made moles scream. Degenerated eyes or not, they still saw.
Fire missiles pierced heads.
Splat-splatter-bang!
Heads exploded.
Jack shouted at the sight.
"Fire! Fire works. Their eyes are weak to light."
Luckily, some slum Awakeners wielded fire magic.
Low-rank, weak power—but the light mattered.
Flames always brought intense glows.
The brilliance wrecked Hell Moles.
Squeeee!
"Now!"
"Die!"
Awakeners exploited the openings, massacring moles.
Kouji katana-sliced three or four at a swing; Yuri swept with wind.
Byron, true to his berserker class, rampaged with one axe.
Jack's team steadily thinned the herd.
But the horde was endless.
They needed a breakthrough.
Shuhan yelled.
"Boss! This way."
He pointed to a passage thick with moles.
"Dungeon boss is there."
Best way to shatter a pack: kill the boss. Command breaks, monsters scatter.
Shuhan had found it in time.
"Good! Everyone, follow Shuhan."
Kouji cleaved blockers and charged.
Inazuma up front, slum Awakeners mid-pack, Jack's team rear.
Zeon hung at the absolute back.
Each finger-flick sent a fireball cleaving darkness.
A mole died per shot.
He could solo-wipe the horde if he wanted.
But no need to reveal power—and something else nagged.
Something's off.
The guards said Zeon's group was the first raiders.
But the moles moved too suspiciously.
Monsters adapted to humans like humans did to them.
These moles had fought humans before.
Zeon's eyes turned forward.
Shuhan led to the boss passage.