Chapter 44
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Romantic Guy (3)
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After arriving in what looked like an altar room, the figure that came into view was that of a single woman.
Her hair was disheveled, making her face hard to see clearly, and her skin was as pale as that of a corpse.
She wore tattered white mourning clothes, and in both hands, she clutched what appeared to be ritual tools made from skulls. She didn't look normal in the slightest.
'What the hell?'
"Hee hee hee hee! You've come! You've come! My sacrifices have arrived!"
From her words, she seemed to be this dungeon's boss monster. I hadn't expected a boss in human form, so I was caught off guard for a moment.
Lee Jae-hyo and Park Da-rim just stood there, showing no signs of stepping in this time either.
"Lord Jepar! I offer these sacrifices to you!"
'Jepar?'
I had no idea what Jepar was, but seeing her call us sacrifices the moment she laid eyes on us, it didn't seem like anything good.
Seo Yu-ju must have sensed the woman about to do something, as she shouted to everyone.
"Everyone, battle stations! Take your positions and prepare for attack! Our goal is to close in on that woman and kill her!"
The Incarnation Clan side was already bracing for combat as well.
"Hee hee hee! Lord Jepar's grace be upon us!"
As the woman let out some kind of cry, chunks of flesh rose from the floor and enveloped her. It looked like she was cocooned inside a fleshy pod.
More chunks of flesh surged from the floor again, clumping together to form a horde of Evil Eyes.
'...So she's the type that gets protected by that pod while summoning monsters?'
With that many Evil Eyes in the way, getting straight to the pod seemed impossible. The strategy looked like clearing them out first, then moving in to take down the pod.
The Evil Eyes let out shrieks and charged at us, but we were already prepared.
Right away, Uncle Ho-won tanked with his shield and pulled aggro while the rest of us steadily thinned their numbers.
We'd hunted plenty of Evil Eyes up to now, so everyone moved with practiced familiarity. At this rate, we could whittle them down without issue.
The real problem wasn't the Evil Eyes, though—it was the boss monster. No telling what it was doing in that fleshy pod, but it surely wasn't anything good for us.
The battle shifted a short while later, when we'd cut the Evil Eyes down to about half.
- Hee hee! Living people! Living people!
- Die! Die! Die!
Suddenly, Wraiths appeared out of thin air.
The front-liners, caught off guard by the sudden Wraiths, took a hit— one from the Incarnation Clan got injured.
"Argh!"
"If you're injured, fall back!"
With an injury on their side, the Incarnation Clan pulled the wounded to the rear.
"Urk...!"
"Uncle!"
Uncle Ho-won had gotten scratched on the arm by a Wraith from behind as well. I quickly cast a spell.
- Hiee eee eek! Hot! So hot!
The Wraith that attacked Uncle Ho-won burst into flames from my spell and vanished.
Uncle Ho-won fell back to the rear for Yu-hyeon to heal him.
"Heal!"
"Phew..."
For a Rare-grade dungeon—not your standard Normal one—everyone was struggling a bit.
Seo Yu-ju, who hadn't shown her full strength until now, channeled mana into her spear and swung it a few times. Three Wraiths vanished in an instant.
Maybe because it was a Rare-grade dungeon and their first raid here, she judged our party alone couldn't handle it and went all out.
"Fuck, that's this generation's rookie?"
"...Insane."
With Seo Yu-ju rampaging through the fight, the Incarnation Clan members couldn't believe this was a Year 0 newbie's performance.
Kim Myung-jun's jaw had dropped wide open as he stared at her in a daze.
Once she joined in, the battle tide quickly turned back in our favor. But I wanted to use magic, only my mana was depleted—I could do nothing.
'Damn it...'
I really felt useless in combat.
'My mana stat is too low. Shit...'
I spotted Yu-rim fighting on a razor's edge up front. Seo Yu-ju was a regressor, so no worries there, but Yu-rim was young and on the front lines.
Lips bitten in frustration at my depleted mana, a Wraith suddenly appeared behind me.
Too late to dodge completely.
'Can't evade...!'
I braced for the injury—
"Yun-seong-ssi!"
Seo Yu-ju dashed to my side in a flash, swinging her spear to obliterate the Wraith.
'Holy shit...'
"Hoo... Yun-seong-ssi, you okay?"
"Ah... Y-yeah. Thanks to you. Thank you, Yu-ju-ssi."
The speed she'd closed in the instant I was in danger went beyond normal. Honestly, her sudden appearance startled me more than the Wraith.
"Just in case another Wraith pops up near you, stick with Ha-eun-ssi and Yu-hyeon."
"Got it."
"Alright, then..."
She nodded at my response and charged forward again.
How much time passed as we chipped away at their numbers? When the monsters dwindled to single digits, something changed with the fleshy pod.
Gloop. Gloop.
Small holes formed all over the pod, black liquid oozing out.
Even mid-battle, everyone kept a close eye on it. Something felt off.
'...Not just protection, then?'
I'd thought the pod was shielding the woman from us, but it seemed to serve another purpose.
Splurt—
The pod burst open, revealing the woman's new form to my eyes.
Someone gasped at the sight.
"...A Wraith?"
No. Different from a Wraith.
One thing clear: she'd discarded her flesh for a spectral form. Proof was the withered corpse—presumably hers—sprawled where the pod had been.
'Dangerous?'
I glanced at Lee Jae-hyo. His eyes flickered with interest at the boss's change, but he showed no intent to act.
'Thinks we can handle it ourselves.'
Lee Jae-hyo and Park Da-rim must have judged it within our capabilities.
'Still just Rare-grade, then.'
I'd worried for a second it might be Heroic-grade with the boss's transformation, but those two wouldn't sit idle for that.
[Boss Monster: Maid Turned Evil Spirit, Marybeth Kelly, has appeared.]
- Hee hee hee hee hee! Lord Jepar has granted me power!
As everyone hesitated at the boss's new form, Seo Yu-ju addressed the group.
"The boss seems to be a spectral type like the Wraiths, wielding a huge scythe, so expect sweeping attacks. If your mana is depleted, fall back. Those who can fight, step up."
The moment she finished, Seo Yu-ju closed in and swung her spear, but the boss parried with its scythe.
Clang—!
Right after blocking, the boss vanished. It happened in a blink.
'...What?'
As I questioned its disappearance, its form rose from Hyun-jin's shadow.
Swish—
Luckily, Hyun-jin sensed it just as the scythe swung and rolled away.
'...Can it travel through people's shadows?'
Seeing it emerge from Hyun-jin's shadow confirmed it could hide in shadows.
I shouted to everyone.
"The boss can hide in people's shadows! Watch the shadows whenever it vanishes!"
Hyun-jin got up, channeled mana into his sword, and slashed. The boss took the hit, screamed, and vanished again.
- Kya a a aak! It hurts! Hurts hurts hurts!
The boss wasn't overwhelmingly strong, but its shadow-hiding made it a nightmare to fight.
As the battle dragged on, fatigue set in visibly for both our party and the Incarnation Clan.
If it stayed visible, we could've piled on damage together, but its hit-and-run from shadows left no openings for real DPS.
Kang I-seo, the archer, especially couldn't act—shooting at something emerging from allies' shadows risked friendly fire.
"Fuck...! You sneaky bastard! What kind of monster is this shit?!"
Mages were equally stuck. The Incarnation Clan's mage held back to avoid hitting allies, and Song Ha-eun could do nothing.
'Ranged classes can't do jack.'
Melee were the only ones landing hits, slowly chipping away.
'...Boss isn't strong, just tricky.'
If we kept this up, we'd win eventually, but more injuries were piling up already.
'No way to block the shadow travel?'
Pondering countermeasures, an idea hit me. Problem: my mana was gone, so I needed Kim Myung-jun.
Mages weren't contributing anyway, so I approached him.
"Sunbae-nim."
"...Yes?"
He looked shocked I'd approach him now.
"Got any mana left?"
"Uh... Yeah, some..."
His tone screamed confusion at my question.
'Fucking idiot.'
"Any other mages with mana?"
"Yes, one more..."
"Bring them here too."
Lee Jae-hyo and Park Da-rim eyed me curiously—mages seemed useless now, so naturally suspicious.
Kim Myung-jun asked too.
"...Mind telling me why?"
'Listen the first damn time.'
I got his skepticism—I was the deadweight bus-rider to him—but in this urgent spot, his pushback pissed me off.
"Figured out how to stop the boss from shadow-hopping. Hurry and get them."
"...For real?"
He didn't buy it. Hard to believe a scrub like me could solve what stumped him.
Frustrated, I snapped.
"You fucker! Quit yapping and fetch them!"
"...What?"
He stood there dumbfounded.
"Hurry—!"
Another yell finally got him moving to grab the other mage.
"Phew..."
Soon, Kim Myung-jun brought a female mage.
Quick status check: worse than him, but way better than me—should suffice.
I spoke to them both.
"One shot, listen up. Skip Kim Myung-jun—you know Light magic, right?"
"Uh... Yeah, but?"
She bristled at orders from a Year 0 like me. Rage flared, but I held it and continued.
"Both of you cast Light spells. Flood this place from the edges inward to the center. Multiple sources, shining from all angles."
"What for...?"
Hospitals on Earth have shadowless lamps in ORs to prevent shadows causing errors during surgery.
Same principle: with this room's size, we could erase all shadows.
"To eliminate the shadows."