Into the Demon King's Castle
The hunters who had entered the dungeon all looked visibly tense. It was only natural—stepping into an unknown world they'd only ever imagined before, how could they possibly relax?
Taemin scanned them and reassured them as if to say there was nothing to worry about.
"You don't need to be so stiff. There aren't any really strong monsters here. If I had to put a label on it, maybe Lich level at best?"
The hunters, who had started to relax a bit at Taemin's words, tensed right back up at the mention of Lich.
In truth, aside from the 28 special-grade members and a few executives, a Lich might as well have been a Demon King's Castle boss to the rest of them. Most were B-rank hunters who could barely handle mid-level zones, and even those from the management department had only gone as far as ruins at most.
So even a Lich—the gateway to upper dungeons—was an impossibly distant realm for them.
On the other hand, the A-rank hunters could afford to relax a little. They all had experience in Death Land, and this was a dungeon appropriate for their current levels, so a Lich didn't faze them much.
Once they entered the hunting grounds, their pace noticeably slowed. If it were just about protecting themselves, they might have charged ahead without a care, but now Taemin had to safeguard nearly a hundred hunters alone. For safety's sake, there was no choice.
It wasn't long before Taemin, leading the front, stopped in his tracks as if spotting something and raised his hand.
"There's a monster ahead. I'll take care of it, so keep your distance and follow."
Yoo Hyuk and the others nodded in acknowledgment, and at the same moment, Taemin's new form shot forward.
The monster was a field staple: a Dullahan.
The hunters gawked at the grotesque creature and clicked their tongues.
"It's alive even without a head..."
"Guess that's not its head."
"Ugh, makes me wanna puke."
But that awe was short-lived. Soon, their eyes locked onto Taemin's mesmerizing combat prowess.
As expected, his skills were exceptional. He didn't need many strikes—just one slash per target. Without even activating any special skills, each swing of Taemin's blade severed the Dullahans' limbs, turning them to smoke.
Having dispatched around thirty monsters in a flash, Taemin beckoned the group.
"Let's go."
At his signal, the hunters fell in behind him once more.
Yoo Hyuk sidled up to Taemin, who was leading the way.
"Hey, Guild Leader?"
"Yeah?"
"Um... when we run into more of those things later, could you let us handle a few? Watching like this is boring, and I wanna test how tough they really are myself."
"Go ahead. I'll pull the aggro, and you can peel off a few. Just don't push too hard."
"Thanks."
The march continued. Not long after, another pack of Dullahans appeared.
Taemin gave Yoo Hyuk a quick nod before diving into the center of the horde to draw their attention.
Dozens of Dullahans charged at Taemin in a chaotic frenzy. To anyone watching, it looked like a desperate melee where split-seconds decided life or death. But to him, it unfolded like a slow-motion video, agonizingly sluggish.
As Taemin held their focus in the middle, Yoo Hyuk and the pre-arranged special-grade combat team surged forward.
They fired spells at the outliers on the edges, luring the stragglers off to one side.
The ones they targeted totaled eight.
The hunters unleashed their strongest attack skills without holding back, bombarding the Dullahans.
Unlike just watching, clashing directly revealed the monsters' overwhelming power. Taemin hadn't exaggerated—even one Dullahan outmatched a Doom Warrior from the Mausoleum.
Unable to gain the upper hand despite their numbers, Yoo Hyuk barked orders.
"Knights, take the aggro. Everyone else, fall back."
Everyone except the eight knights pulled away at his command.
The knights then activated their Force Armor and grabbed the Dullahans' ankles.
As the aggro shifted, Yoo Hyuk dove back into the fray, and the rest followed, pouring on the attacks.
Free from defense concerns, their firepower naturally surged, concentrating in one spot.
The watching B-rank hunters indirectly grasped just how formidable the Dullahans were. If A-ranks were struggling this much, it was beyond anything they could imagine.
About fifteen minutes later, the Dullahans they'd been fiercely battling vanished before their eyes.
"Whew. These bastards are tough to kill."
"Tell me about it. Never fought anything this resilient in my life."
The hunters shook their heads at the Dullahans' absurd durability.
Then they glanced at Taemin, who had faced dozens.
Their eyes went wide.
All fifty Dullahans were gone—not a single one in sight.
Indeed, Taemin had finished his fight ages ago and had been watching over them, prepared for any emergencies.
"Guild Leader's on another level. Can't even compare."
"Compare? We're not fit to lick his boots."
"How'd he get this strong? Just two months ago..."
"Dude, he was already insane back then."
"Yeah, fair point."
As the hunters chatted idly, Taemin gave the order to move out.
From the subsequent hunts, even Yoo Hyuk and the others just spectated Taemin's work. Jumping in would only slow things down.
Blasting through Dullahan packs at high speed, the hunters soon entered the zone teeming with Liches.
Spotting the Liches ahead, Taemin warned the group just in case.
"Keep your guard up on all sides. These guys use magic. One slip, and you're done."
With that, he charged the Liches.
The moment they spotted him, they unleashed a barrage of spells.
But Taemin wasn't one to take hits.
Dodging every incoming magic projectile, he swiftly dismantled them one by one.
They had the advantage of range, but their defense was laughable. Even casual sword swings burst their bodies, sending them to oblivion.
As Taemin cleared the Liches, level-up glows began popping up among the spectating hunters.
They were all early B-rankers with around 100 million EXP needed per level—relatively low-level users.
Even with the EXP penalty halving their gains, it was still ten times what they got from their usual spots, and the monster density made it a storm of level-ups.
"Over 300k EXP per second... This is a whole new world."
"If the field's this good, what's inside the castle like?"
"Jackpot."
"Guild Leader's the real deal."
They marveled and showered Taemin with praise.
A few minutes later, the Liches blanketing the area were wiped clean.
"A few more rounds, and we're good. See that light at the far end?"
The hunters followed Taemin's gesture.
A faint glimmer, like a star in the night sky, entered their view.
"That's the Demon King's Castle. Looks far, but we're basically there."
They nodded at his explanation.
One hunter raised a hand curiously.
"Guild Leader, what's our return time today?"
"No set time. We're clearing all the way to the top floor before heading back. No clue how long it'll take."
Cheers lit up the hunters' faces.
The field was already insane; the castle was a no-brainer. Massive EXP awaited, and sweeping it all? Smiles were inevitable.
"Alright, let's move."
The advance resumed.
As they neared the castle, monster numbers swelled, varieties multiplying.
But no matter what emerged, the outcome was the same once Taemin engaged.
Repeating the cycle of slashing and sweeping, they soon reached the Demon King's Castle entrance.
As they arrived, two gargoyles guarding the gate brandished spears threateningly.
"Halt! This is the undead sanctuary. Outsiders forbidden. Begone."
The speaking monsters stunned the hunters into bewildered expressions.
"Monsters talking?!"
"What? How can a monster speak?"
"Wild."
Executives and all were equally shocked. They'd heard rumors of talking monsters, but seeing it—speaking Korean, no less—was a first.
Leaving the gawking group behind, Taemin addressed the gargoyles.
"How do you guys spout the exact same lines every day? Don't you get bored?"
Having raided the Demon King's Castle countless times, Taemin wearily recited their script verbatim.
One gargoyle responded just as always.
"I repeat: This is the undead sanctua—"
"Yeah, got it. Die."
Slash!
Thud!
The two gargoyles perished mid-sentence, heads severed.
The hunters smacked their lips regretfully at the anticlimactic end. So many questions, gone in a blink.
Sensing their thoughts, Taemin sheathed his sword.
"They only say the same crap every time. No point dragging it out."
"They're trained or something?"
"Eh, not quite..."
"Fascinating. I'd only heard stories—first time seeing a real talking monster."
As Yoo Hyuk marveled again, Taemin pointed to the castle's peak.
"One more up top. Total poser. Anyway, time's flying. It'll get risky and messy inside, so let's eat here before heading in."