Boom! Kaboom! Rat-a-tat-tat! Whoosh! Bang!

Boom! Kaboom! Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat! Whoosh! Bang!

The heavens and earth seemed to shatter as deafening explosions echoed one after another. Artillery shells rained down from all directions, while monsters plummeted in droves. Jo Yong-seok, witnessing it all in real time, stared with the expression of someone lost in a dream.

The man who had appeared dramatically in their moment of death. When Jo Yong-seok first glimpsed his back, he couldn't comprehend it. Was there really any need to come all the way in here? Honestly, even if someone did barge in, it was a death sentence. No matter how skilled, no one could take on this horde of monsters.

But that had been a glaring misjudgment on his part.

The strange weapon in the man's hands. When whatever it fired slammed into the front lines, it obliterated every preconception Jo Yong-seok had held. The entire pack of Kurama filling his vision had vanished in an instant.

Then, drawing another type of weapon, the man's combat prowess was nothing short of horrifying. Magical barrages firing dozens of rounds per second. Just watching him made Jo Yong-seok's jaw drop—the man's firepower shredded the tough hides of the Kurama like wet tissue paper.

No monster dared approach within twenty meters. Lee Seong-ho, drooling as he gawked at the impossible scene, finally muttered a single word.

"What... the hell is this guy?"

Shin Ji-su, glued to his side with a dazed look, echoed blankly.

"You mean he's that last guy who got summoned with us?"

She was referring to the fifth survivor out of the five summoned. Jo Yong-seok rubbed his eyes furiously and spoke up.

"But have you guys ever seen anything like that?"

"Nope. Never even heard of it. Doesn't look like zero-rank to me."

"Zero? You kidding? By levels, he's gotta be over 200."

"What class even is that? Never seen weapons like those."

In their estimation, the man before them wasn't on their level at all. At least third-rank. And considering he was soloing, that made him worth an entire team or more.

"Wait, isn't that a gun?"

It was Seo Ju-ah, who had been watching the man intently. At her words, everyone's gaze locked onto the weapon in his hands.

"Now that you mention it, yeah, kinda looks like one."

"Guns? Weren't those phased out?"

"Not phased out— we just can't make 'em anymore."

"Anyway. So why's he got one?"

"Beats me. But that thing on his shoulder looks like a cannon..."

As they speculated among themselves, Taejeong accelerated the cleanup.

"21.242. Sixty degrees from current position."

With Gerard's calculations, a green zone marked the inner right corner of the stone chamber. Simultaneously, the left barrel aimed into the void, and with the high-angle command, a high-explosive shell launched.

Boom!

The shell hit dead on, exploding and scattering over a dozen Kurama into bloody chunks.

"Good. Don't wait for orders—fire on cooldown."

Gerard's performance in battle was astounding. Guns that once relied on gut feel now boasted ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠100% accuracy thanks to pinpoint coordinates. Taejeong owed the rescue entirely to him.

When he first arrived, the sheer number of monsters made breakthrough seem impossible. Blasting from the entrance would take too long; spraying bullets risked hitting the humans.

That's when Gerard shone.

Trusting that, Taejeong slammed direct- and indirect-fire shells into those coordinates. The result: a path carved along the left wall. He dashed in and blocked the humans just in time.

A few seconds' delay, and survival wouldn't have been guaranteed. It was a miracle timing.

Time dragged on until the visible enemies dwindled to a countable few. Moments later, the clear message appeared.

"Whew."

Having cleared the stage, Taejeong let out a deep breath and surveyed his handiwork. Countless unrecognizable meat chunks littered the area—nearly a thousand in total. He'd personally killed exactly 789.

It had taken just over ten minutes. A display of overwhelming prowess.

Even more astonishing: he'd leveled up 16 times in this single fight. Considering EXP requirements ballooned with levels, this was equivalent to solo-clearing an entire dungeon.

"Anyway..."

Taejeong turned from the battlefield, glancing back slyly. Four stunned faces—two men, two women—met his eyes. Too shocked to speak even upon eye contact.

He offered an awkward greeting.

"Hey there?"

Jo Yong-seok snapped out of his daze at the words.

"Ah, h-hello."

"Everyone okay?"

"Y-yes. Thanks to you... But who might you be...?"

The burning question. Taejeong introduced himself simply.

"Looks like we got summoned together. I was a bit late. First time with Recall."

Jo Yong-seok waved his hands frantically.

"N-no, you arrived just in time and saved us. We really thought we were done for. Thank you so much."

Led by him, the other ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠three—still staring like he was a monster—poured out their thanks.

Taejeong nodded and asked.

"Glad to hear it. So, how many stages left in here?"

"No idea. This should've been the end normally... But uh, what's your class? That thing in your hand—is it a gun?"

"This? Yeah, a gun. You guys all friends?"

Taejeong acknowledged casually, changing the subject. The weapon was out in the open anyway, but no need to reveal his exact class.

"Yeah. Best friends from the same guild."

"Figured. You seemed tighter than average at the bus stop."

"Bus stop?"

Jo Yong-seok blinked in confusion. Shin Ji-su, who'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been listening quietly, pointed at Taejeong.

"Oh! That taxi guy earlier. It was a taxi, right?"

"You remember. Yeah, taxi."

"Whoa. Didn't recognize you geared up. You're a hunter. What are the odds? When'd you get here? Right after we were summoned?"

"Probably. I missed that taxi too."

"Ah, so the taxi's the culprit?"

Jo Yong-seok lightly shoved Shin Ji-su for the silly joke and cut in.

"Anyway, do you have a plan?"

"Plan? Like what...?"

"Well, we're out of potions, so we can't help much. We'll do our best, but..."

"No worries there. I can handle it solo."

"If you need bait, we can discuss—"

"Let's see how the next wave goes. If it's bad, I'll ask then."

Taejeong had no intention of dragging these depowered folks into the fray. They'd just get in the way. His suppressive fire worked best with clear lines of sight.

As they chatted, an alert chimed.

"Everyone, hug the walls."

Taejeong directed them, then gripped his M60, eyes fixed ahead. Dozens of monsters soon poured from the central portal.

All his firepower converged instantly.

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!Boom! Kaboom! Pew-pew-pew! Bang!

Wave 9 monsters were enhanced versions of the previous ones. Their strength was unknown, but they dropped like flies—nothing special.

Taejeong's brief tension eased.

Good. This wave's clear too.

The battle was one-sided. Even better than the last. Previously, monsters packed the room, dangers everywhere. Now, not one escaped the portal mouth.

Maximized focused firepower. A core advantage of the Mechanic class.

How long did he pour it on? Then—

Hitting 120 unlocked new skills in succession. Tempted to check immediately, Taejeong prioritized the wave. About two hundred left.

A few barrages and sprays later, he cleanly cleared Wave 9.

"Whoa. You're seriously amazing."

Shin Ji-su gaped from the rear, soul seemingly departed. The others were no different.

Taejeong flashed an embarrassed smile and checked his status.

Getting tougher.

Five levels from top monsters. Levels were levels—progress slowed. A stark contrast to the previous 16-up.

But no disappointment. He'd already gained over 40 levels today.

Scanning status, he opened his skills.

Nice.

Even at a glance, solid skills. Great damage, and a new warhead type. Curious, Taejeong nearly summoned one—but held off. No need when firepower already overflowed.

"Alright. Wonder how many stages left."