Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The Metallic Hero?
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"Form up!"
At the shout, the Stone Golems gathered in one place.
It was as if a small fortress wall had formed.
"Advance!"
The consolidated wall, 1.5 meters high and 3 meters wide, moved forward.
The black wolves charged recklessly, but they couldn't stop the massive wall's advance.
Shunk-!
As one black wolf was flung back, I didn't miss the chance to plunge my sword into it.
Wham-!
The one that jumped out from the side was met with a stone fist—a literal fist of stone.
Ding-.
[You have leveled up.]
The cheerful notification sound rang out.
"Fangs!"
Thwack-.
"Experience!"
Thwack-.
Following behind the Stone Golems, I took down the wolves that managed to get over the wall, one by one.
The pack of twenty black wolves was halved in an instant.
"Fight!"
I issued another command.
The Stone Golems spread out and began punching and kicking the black wolves.
They didn't deal much damage, but since the wolves' claws and fangs were useless against them, they could harass them relentlessly.
Some time passed.
Before long, not a single black wolf was left standing on four legs in the wide cavern.
[You have leveled up.]
"Already level 10?"
I had gained two more levels from that last hunt.
Though not the full amount, I still gained experience from the kills my golems made.
All things considered, summoning the golems was a good choice.
Fshhh-!
[A new quest has been unlocked.]
The moment I reached level 10, a new quest arrived.
I opened the quest window without delay.
"Check quests."
[Quest]
Category: Main
Content: You have met the minimum qualifications. To reclaim your true power, you must gather the scattered pieces. (Progress: 1/7)
Restriction: None
Reward: ???
Failure: ???
"Hmm..."
The quest's content was utterly baffling.
I couldn't make heads or tails of it.
Where were these scattered pieces?
The reward and penalty were both unknown.
Just as I was trying to figure out the quest's intention, another one arrived.
Ding-!
[Quest]
Category: Sub
Content: Boss Hunt. Hunt the boss of the dungeon you have entered. (Progress: 0/1)
Restriction: None
Reward: Points +10
Failure: 3 Golems will be destroyed
"What?"
More than anything else, the first thing that caught my eye was the failure penalty.
Just when I thought hunting had gotten a little easier with the golems, it threatened to destroy them if I failed.
Magic stones didn't grow on trees.
‘Are you on my side or not?’
I had to wonder whose side this quest system was on.
Still, at least I knew exactly what I had to do for this sub-quest.
And from this quest, I could infer one thing: the boss was still alive.
‘I should head out right away.’
It said a boss remained, not that it was currently being hunted.
I stored the Stone Golems in my Subspace and hurried on.
***
‘And they call these guys hunters...’
Deok-hoon sighed as he watched his nephews.
The sight of three of them struggling with a single black wolf was just pathetic.
‘Giving C-rank status to kids like these. The Hunter Administration has really gone soft.’
In the past, C-rank hunters were individuals who could easily hunt up to Grade 6 monsters.
But as time passed, with more monster types appearing and a continuous stream of new Awakenings, the hunter ranks became more subdivided.
E and F-ranks were created, and while some hunters were demoted, others, like Do-jae, benefited from the new system, barely scraping by to become hunters.
‘They’re hopeless.’
Shim Young-jin swung his sword horizontally, attacking the black wolf.
The black wolf leaped into the air, easily dodging the blade's trajectory.
Evading Shim Young-jin's sword, which reeked of thick blood, posed no threat to the creature.
If anything, the smell of its packmate's blood only made the black wolf more ferocious.
‘If you don't have the brawn, you should at least have the brains. Or at least some teamwork.’
The coordination between Shim Young-jin, the dealer, and Kim Joon-soo, the tanker, was a complete mess.
Their timing was constantly off, making him wonder if they had ever fought together as a team before.
"Hey! Kim Joon-soo, what are you doing!"
"Ah... I got it!"
"Hurry!"
Kim Joon-soo, who had been observing its reactions, rushed forward at Shim Young-jin's shout.
Kla-kang-!
He barely managed to raise his shield to block the black wolf's claws.
"Young-jin!"
"Shit! I know!"
Thud-.
"Agh, damn it!"
"S... Sorry."
The standard tactic for a tanker-dealer combo was to attack the enemy the moment it flinched after its attack was blocked.
However, they missed that chance by bumping into each other while trying to switch places.
And that meant the situation had just turned in the black wolf's favor.
"Krrraaaang!"
The black wolf charged toward the fallen Shim Young-jin.
Leap-.
Kim Joon-soo stared blankly as the black wolf soared over his head, while the healer, Seong Min-ho, could do nothing but watch.
Thwack-!
Crash-!
"Tsk. When hunting a mid-sized beast-type monster, you don't switch with the tanker immediately."
Deok-hoon spoke in an irritated voice.
Seeing Shim Young-jin in danger, he had instantly closed the distance and kicked the black wolf away.
His footprint was clearly stamped on the chest of the wolf, now slammed against the wall.
"The boss room is next. Get your heads on straight before you go in."
Deok-hoon's brow furrowed deeply.
Oblivious to his expression, Shim Young-jin and his friends exchanged glances and grinned.
"Yes, Uncle! Let's go, guys!"
"Okay!"
"Let's do it!"
Their confidence was astounding.
Shim Young-jin took the lead and pushed open the door to the boss room.
***
Some 20 minutes had passed since Shim Young-jin’s party and Deok-hoon entered the boss room.
Craaash-!
"Kugh."
Screeeech-.
Kim Joon-soo was pushed back, shield and all.
The dungeon boss, Cerberus, raised its heads and roared.
"Krwaaaaaa!"
"Koooooh!"
"Krrraaaang!"
The three heads let out distinct cries as their six eyes fixed on Shim Young-jin.
Swoosh-!
Claws larger than a grown man's palm raked across Shim Young-jin's torso.
Although he blocked with his sword, the force was so strong that he was sent flying, and the claws slammed squarely into his chest.
"Keok."
Fortunately, they failed to pierce his leather armor.
The expensive armor Deok-hoon had given him was doing its job.
"Heal!"
Seong Min-ho quickly used a skill to treat Shim Young-jin.
The armor had prevented external injuries, but it couldn't absorb all of the impact.
The proof was in his cracked ribs, which made it difficult for him to even breathe properly.
"Th... anks."
After receiving the heal, Shim Young-jin stood up once more.
Kim Joon-soo also planted his shield and readied his stance.
‘Is this their limit?’
Watching from the back, Deok-hoon shook his head.
Cerberus was taking damage, but his party was taking far more.
If this meaningless war of attrition continued, they would surely be wiped out.
‘I wonder what made them so confident.’
The healer was already exhausted, dripping with cold sweat, and the tanker was battered from head to toe.
Only Shim Young-jin, who had been the focus of the heals, was merely in a state of slight fatigue.
Shim Young-jin had told Deok-hoon to stay back and just watch them.
Rather than feeling proud, Deok-hoon now found the sight pitiful.
‘They still have a long way to go.’
Deok-hoon pushed himself up, preparing to finish things.
Just then, the door to the boss room opened.
Creeak-.
Thud-.
‘A golem?’
A Stone Golem entered the boss room with heavy footsteps.
He had never seen anything like it.
A monster entering a boss room?
Dungeons were unpredictable, but this was beyond anything he had ever known.
Shing-.
Deok-hoon stood up, his sword partially drawn.
But he didn't act immediately.
The mana it emitted was pathetic, and for some reason, it wasn't reacting to him.
Monsters, whether strong or weak, were supposed to show hostility toward humans, yet this Stone Golem seemed to feel nothing toward him.
More importantly, something else caught his attention.
‘Is there even a golem that looks like that?’
No matter how he looked at it, the golem's form was too sleek.
He couldn't be certain that such a form didn't exist among the various types of golems, but still. It felt less like a monster and more like a human.
‘I feel like I've seen it somewhere before.’
A vague memory of that shape flickered in Deok-hoon's mind.
And then, a certain image flashed through his brain.
‘Metallic Hero?’
The Stone Golem's appearance was remarkably similar to Metallic Hero, the star of the Wonder Cinematic Universe—the only movie series he, a man with no time for films, made time to watch.
It was as if someone had made the Metallic Hero's suit out of stone instead of metal.
‘What in the world is that thing?’
In the meantime, the Stone Golem walked unabated toward Cerberus.
Deok-hoon now fully drew his sword and watched the Stone Golem warily.
Ready to cut it down at a moment's notice if it threatened his nephew.
He was simply observing a little longer because this was a very interesting sight.
***
Flinch-.
Thud- Thud-.
Upon entering the boss room, Do-jae paused for a second before resuming his nonchalant walk.
‘Maybe I should have taken off the Golem Armor before coming in.’
Do-jae had stopped purely out of surprise.
How could he not be startled when an A-rank hunter drew a sword on him?
However, since the hunter didn't attack and just watched, Do-jae continued walking toward the boss.
‘For whatever reason.’
He hadn't expected Deok-hoon to be watching from afar instead of participating in the battle.
The boss room was already unlocked, which meant a fight was in progress. With a quest on the line, he had entered wearing the Golem Armor, intending to land the final blow one way or another.
His plan had been to deactivate the armor and talk afterward.
‘Honestly...’
He had momentarily forgotten he was even using the Golem Armor.
‘The boss hunt comes first! I can't let them take my experience.’
Do-jae temporarily pushed aside his thoughts about Deok-hoon and summoned his golems and sword from the Subspace.
Thump-.
"Wh-what! It's a golem!"
Only when the three golems appeared did Shim Young-jin finally notice Do-jae's presence.
- I will help.
Do-jae's voice echoed from within the Golem Armor.
"Huh, it talks?"
"Young-jin, move!"
While Shim Young-jin was distracted by Do-jae, Cerberus charged.
Startled, Shim Young-jin tried to dodge but tripped over his own feet and fell.
"Aack!"
Shim Young-jin squeezed his eyes shut.
A moment later, when he peeked through one eye, he saw Do-jae standing in front of him, blocking Cerberus with both arms.
- Stick to it.
At Do-jae's command, the three golems latched onto Cerberus's legs.
Being made of pure stone, the golems were incredibly heavy.
Even at a glance, Cerberus's movements had clearly slowed.
Leap-.
Do-jae seized the opportunity and jumped onto Cerberus.
Thanks to his investment in the Strength stat, he could jump one-and-a-half times higher than before.
"Krrraaaang."
Do-jae wrapped his arms around the neck of Cerberus's middle head and squeezed with all his might.
But a boss was still a boss.
His grip wasn't strong enough, and the beast thrashed about, trying to shake him off.
- Attack!
Do-jae yelled at Shim Young-jin's party.
Snapping back to their senses, Shim Young-jin and Kim Joon-soo attacked Cerberus.
"Kuaaang!"
"Ruff ruff ruff!"
"Krwaaaaaa!"
A short, fierce battle ensued.
Just as Cerberus lost its strength and began to stagger,
Shunk-!
Do-jae, still clinging to its back, plunged his sword into the beast.
No matter how tough its hide was, it couldn't withstand the sharp point of the sword and the force of Do-jae's thrust.
Thud-.
Cerberus finally collapsed.
It breathed its last, its red tongue lolling out.
Ding-.
[You have leveled up.]
[You have cleared the quest.]
[You have acquired the reward.]
[Points +10]
No matter how many times he heard it, it was a pleasant sound.
But that wasn't all.
Ding-.
[You have acquired a new title.]
['Wolf Slayer' has been added.]
[Beast-type monsters will fear you. Their movements will be slowed by terror.]
[You deal 30% additional damage to beast-type monsters.]
[Loot from beast-type monsters will be automatically sent to your Subspace.]
"Ooh..."
Do-jae's eyes sparkled as he read the new messages.