Waves of the Bonus Stage
Mu-hyuk's cooking earned nods of approval from the two others.
"As expected, it's delicious."
"Oppa, you're the best!"
"Of course it is. What level is my Cooking skill at?"
Mu-hyuk felt a swell of pointless pride as he scooped up a bite of the spread before him.
Mmm, even though I made it myself.
It was genuinely delicious.
The pent-up stress melted away like cream.
Combat itself wasn't all that tough. Battling strong foes was enjoyable, and victory brought a rush of euphoria.
But it wasn't a walk in the park either—especially in places like this dungeon, where the fights dragged on endlessly. The mounting pressure from that relentless grind was no small thing.
During these brief respites, nothing chased away the tension quite like a good meal. Mu-hyuk savored the moment fully.
"Ahh, this hits the spot."
"Man, resting is the best part, huh?"
"Nah. It's resting with good food that's the best."
"Fair point."
They lounged in sated bliss, chatting idly for a while.
"Alright, let's push a bit more before sundown."
"Yeah, we've rested plenty."
All three rose to their feet.
Their condition was solid.
Skeleton Warhorse
After mounting their warhorses, he used a skill to revive two Big Mice.
They charged across the plains on horseback.
About five minutes in, they spotted a lone Big Mouse.
"Let's go!"
"Roger that!"
The zombie Big Mice accelerated, barreling forward ferociously.
Thud!
The target took a massive hit on impact and tumbled across the ground.
Meanwhile, the two zombie Big Mice pounced, pummeling the downed foe.
The arriving skeletons joined in, and the hunt proceeded smoothly.
Of course, the Big Mouse let out a deafening roar to summon allies—but only two more showed up late.
With one already revived via Revive, they now had three zombie Big Mice.
Just to be safe, he cast a few skills.
Weakness, Strength Increase, Stamina Increase
With skeletons, spirits, and even squirrels in the mix, there was no way they'd be overwhelmed.
Experience acquired. x2
Points acquired. x2
In the end, they dispatched the two Big Mice faster than expected.
Revive
He revived them as zombies right away.
Thanks to the swift hunt, their zombie Big Mouse squad now numbered five. They swept across the plains once more.
"Over there!"
Another Big Mouse sighted.
Boom!
The cycle repeated.
*
Dusk fell, blanketing the plains in darkness. The magic lantern from the general store barely pierced the gloom.
"Can't see a thing."
"Call it here for today."
"Yeah, probably."
Mu-hyuk checked the remaining time on the zombie Big Mice: 7 minutes, 11 minutes, 21 minutes.
Plenty left.
He sent all five—zombies and skeletons alike—back to the Demon Realm F11 region.
Time to log out? Then Yerin's gasp rang in his ears.
"Whoa..."
She was staring up at the sky.
"What?"
"Look, the sky..."
Mu-hyuk looked up.
-------!
For a split second, his mind blanked out.
The heavens brimmed with stars, twinkling as if ready to cascade down. They washed away every stray thought, leaving his mind pristine.
"It's really beautiful."
"Insane."
"How is this even possible?"
The sheer beauty left them speechless, only awe escaping their lips.
Without a word, they all flopped onto their backs in the grass.
Thud.
They gazed at the stars for a long while.
Such a spectacle was rare even in Illusion.
Eventually, reality intruded.
"Whoa, it's already 11 p.m."
"Already?"
"Yeah. Good work, everyone. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, Oppa. Night."
"You too."
Yerin logged out.
"I'm out too."
"See ya."
Sung Min-woo followed, and Mu-hyuk logged out as well.
Meanwhile.
In the Demon Realm, Burtan eyed the five zombie Big Mice impassively.
-Good firepower.
-Indeed.
-But time is short.
-I know.
-Then let's fight now. You five, charge.
The zombie Big Mice lumbered forward.
Thud.
Then picked up speed.
Thud, thud!
The skeletons pursued the thundering herd.
Soon, they encountered Demon Realm monsters and clashed.
-Attack!
Thanks to the zombie Big Mice, the monsters fell far easier than usual.
-Push on.
-Right.
But one zombie Big Mouse had already vanished.
Four remained.
They had to maximize gains before they faded.
-Hurry.
-Got it.
More battles followed.
Decisive victories.
Though after the zombies expired, the skeletons shattered in grueling fights.
Still, they'd racked up far more experience than usual.
*
Four days scouring the plains.
"How many potions left?"
"None."
Sung Min-woo and Mu-hyuk were tapped out.
"Yerin?"
"Two now."
Mu-hyuk's brow furrowed.
Just two.
Could they escape the plains before running dry?
Worry crept in, but he shook it off.
No choice.
To clear the dungeon.
"Let's push a little harder."
"Yeah."
They burned another potion and pressed on.
Hunt Big Mice.
Revive to bolster ranks.
Advance.
Rinse and repeat—until the potions' duration expired.
"Last one, Oppa."
"Sigh. Alright."
After some deliberation, Mu-hyuk popped the final potion with a sigh.
"Let's go."
Minutes on warhorses.
A Big Mouse appeared.
"Battle stations!"
Mid-fight, it roared for backup.
Kieeeek!
They pressed hard, felled it, revived it, and waited.
But no reinforcements came, even after time passed.
"What, none around?"
"Then onward."
That instant.
Whoosh.
A gale surged from nowhere, blinding them in seconds.
"Ugh, what the—!"
"Nngh!"
The wind died down gradually.
They cracked their eyes.
"Huh?"
No more plains.
Instead, a narrow dungeon corridor. But that wasn't what caught their eye.
You have cleared the plains.
You have entered the bonus stage.
The floating hologram text.
Confusion brief.
"Oppa, what is this?"
Mu-hyuk snapped to.
"Looks like we cleared the plains and got teleported."
"For real?"
"Probably."
"Hmm, but 'bonus stage'?"
Truth be told, Mu-hyuk was in the dark too.
Was there something like this?
The name sounded promising.
"Doesn't seem bad?"
"Yeah, it's a bonus, right?"
"Let's check it out."
They stepped forward together.
Step.
Along the path, a massive iron door loomed ahead.
They paused briefly, exchanged nods, then placed hands on it.
Fwoosh.
Light swallowed them.
*
Vision cleared. Mu-hyuk checked the hologram first.
Bonus Stage (Human Wave Tactics)
📍 Objective: Defeat as many monsters as possible within the time limit. Total kills convert to temporary stat points.
🎁 Begin Bonus Stage?[Yes/No]
Temporary stat points.
His eyes sharpened at the words.
Real bonus stage.
Grinning, he turned.
"You seeing the hologram...?"
Sung Min-woo and Yerin were gone.
Damn.
Split into separate areas, it seemed.
No big worry about soloing, but the vast hall meant multiple spawns at once.
No time to waste—he selected Yes.
First wave incoming.
Time remaining: 600 seconds
Ogres poured from the front of the massive hall.
Grrr, grrr!
An insane number.
Hundreds at a glance, endless.
Hmm.
But Mu-hyuk wasn't one to fear mere ogres, no matter the horde.
Skeleton Summon
Armor Mage, attack.
Each spell blast vaporized dozens of ogres.
Armor Archers and Bone Bows followed with bone arrows.
The hundreds of ogres melted away without touching him.
You have cleared the first wave.
Temporary stat points acquired (500).
Second wave incoming.
Time remaining: 547 seconds
Better score than expected.
One point per kill?
No time to ponder—the second wave hit.
He nodded unconsciously at the emerging monsters.
As expected.
Ogres were just the opener; easy mode.
Now the real test.
Noble Vampires—level 120 high-tiers—charged him.
Armor Cavalry, charge.
Armor Knight, defense mode.
Armor Archer, rapid fire.
Skeletons handled them well, but the numbers were overwhelming—over 200.
Skeletons alone would take too long.
Bonus stage meant max kills in time. Time to break out the big guns.
Revive
He hurriedly checked the prompt.
531 nearby monster souls detected.
How many to revive?
He eyed his remaining MP.
Doable.
No hesitation.
531—all of them.
Use existing monster bodies? [Yes/No]
Yes—MP drained.
Exchange
HP to MP swap, pronto.
Strength Increase, Stamina Increase
Buffs for allies.
Weakness
Debuffs for enemies.
He watched the unfolding carnage with a satisfied smile.
Kieeeek!
One-sided slaughter, plain as day.
Utter domination.
The last Noble Vampire fell, and another hologram appeared.
You have cleared the second wave.
Temporary stat points acquired (800).
Total temporary stat points: 1,300.
Third wave incoming.
Time remaining: 309 seconds
About five minutes left.
Spawn: level 130 humanoid monsters—Tugui.
Hmm.
Tough customers.
No need to hold back.
Brow smoothed, Mu-hyuk triggered Revive again.
169 nearby monster souls detected.
How many to revive?
All 169.
Zombie Noble Vampires materialized—around 180 total.
Plus 380-ish zombie ogres.
And the skeletons.
Kieeeek!
The horde slammed into 150 Tugui.