The 48th Zone Dungeon: Survival's Edge
The monsters' assault was brutal, yet with the buffs, the teams barely managed to hold them off. Two deaths had occurred, however. The fallen warriors were ripped apart from the waist up by the beasts, and even the healers' magic was useless—they expired on the spot. Apart from that, there were dislocated joints, broken bones, severed limbs, and severe contusions, but thanks to the healers, they were as good as new. Of course, they were on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.
The teams truly sensed the crisis breathing down their necks. This was the absolute limit. When the next wave hit, they knew death would snowball out of control.
Both team leaders grew increasingly frantic. But there was nothing else to do. They could only place their hopes in the two heroes. Yet, contrary to their expectations, those heroes were thinking the same thing—things were hopeless.
The Kang-jun Team had reached their limit too. Hye-mi’s entire body was trembling. Tzush’s strength was gone even if he didn’t show it. The Oger-nam and the Troll Girl were holding on with raw endurance…
Kang-jun’s stamina was also running dangerously low. He had poured everything into recovering mana and stamina through the Heavenly Demon Mind Method, but each battle drained him like a desert. Without the buffs, he would have been in the same boat as his teammates.
The team leaders exchanged tired glances, shook the dust from their asses, and stood up. It was time to move.
“Just hang on a little longer. Somehow, we have to make it out alive!”
No one grumbled. Everyone knew the only way to survive was this. They had fought until they could barely stand, but they refused to die.
Hye-mi staggered when she rose. Kang-jun caught her just in time so she wouldn’t have fallen flat.
“Are you okay?”
“…I think so.”
“Just a little longer.”
Hye-mi simply nodded instead of answering. Her legs felt like lead blocks. Her soles burned and throbbed as if stepped on by thorns. She wanted nothing more than to collapse and sleep anywhere. Even on the freezing cold floor, a single lie-down might bring rest. She was that exhausted.
*I could survive and make this a valuable experience…*
Kang-jun thought that to himself. Pushing to this limit was definitely worth it. There would be far worse hardships ahead, and this experience would be the perfect fertilizer for them.
Of course, the experience only counted if they survived. If they died, it was all for nothing. So Kang-jun clenched his teeth. All his focus was now on saving the teammates.
The group trudged forward once more. The air reeked of death.
Kang-jun checked the electronic map. They had arrived in Area 8, but this was the real pinch point. Crossing it would take roughly six hours. If they could make it through this one stretch, their survival rate would skyrocket… Thankfully, no monster group had shown itself yet.
Unsurprisingly, the more hope piled up, the more anxiety grew. When it finally broke, it would explode into something they couldn’t handle.
Everyone secretly hoped the previous wave had been the last. They had already broken through four times—shouldn’t it be enough now! …Of course, such desperate wishes rarely reached the heavens in a dungeon.
Soon Kang-jun sensed the monster group approaching. He licked his dry lips. Damn it. He swallowed the curse instead of spitting it out.
Yet strangely, the group was incredibly small. One, two, three… Wait, that was all?
The problem was the levels. The first two matched the earlier ones. But the one creeping up from the rear was monstrous. Way past the 250-level Death Knight he had seen before.
[System] Mid-boss Agaleus has appeared.
The system muttered. Kang-jun’s head spun. The bastards really meant to kill them.
He didn’t recall the name Agaleus, but the title “Mid-boss” was enough to estimate the threat level.
*A dungeon boss.*
They really had to fight a dungeon boss here. They must have come through a newly opened passage. That explained why the waves were so vicious.
The team leaders and heroes caught the monster’s presence too and their faces drained of color. The first two beasts bolted like they were fleeing a monster. They weren’t weak, but with just two, they were quickly dispatched.
The approaching dungeon boss was on another level. Judging by the mana density, it was roughly level 300.
Even Kang-jun considered 300 overkill. He hadn’t even reached the stage right before his second awakening.
He took a deep breath and cooled his head. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them with cold calculation.
*My current level is 183 after adding the additional stats. With buffs, that jumps about 20, so roughly 200.*
Of course stats mattered, but skills could never be ignored. Converting the gap his S-rank skills could fill into level terms put it at about fifty. …Still, that wasn’t enough.
Kang-jun bit his lower lip hard. The only one who could help was the buff caster. He himself had to break through this crisis.
…Actually, there was one way. Using the coupon shop. But where were they supposed to get the coupons from…!
*Ah, damn it…*
The answer had been decided long ago. This was no ordinary trash mob or dungeon boss. To overcome the crisis, they would have to spend coupons. Kang-jun opened the shop and scrolled down the weapon tab.
*My precious coupons.*
They weren’t for purchase—they were only for rental. One hundred were needed. The purchase price was ten times that, a thousand. Rental time was a mere one day. But the cost of using one would be steep.
Kang-jun ultimately pressed the rental button. Yeah, coupons could be obtained again. The teammates’ lives were far more important. He swallowed the tears and steeled his resolve.
Crack. Lightning crackled in the air. Kang-jun watched the pitch-black sword slowly materialize. …Long time no see, you bastard.
The sword didn’t have the qualification to be held unless one met the minimum standards. Strength and stamina both had to be at least 40. So Kang-jun had distributed his mana evenly between strength and stamina. Only then did the resistance vanish, and he could grip the handle tightly.
[System] Sword rental complete. Grandjo. (23:59:59)
Kang-jun summoned the sword he had last fought alongside in his third playthrough, the sword that had shared his final moments.
---
Velita’s vision was pitch black. The slow-approaching monster was nothing short of a disaster to her. No matter how strong she was as a C-rank hero, she couldn’t touch the thing. Even her estimate of 161 was a lie; the creature was probably over 280. She could only match 20 or 30 levels higher thanks to her combat skills, but that gap was far too wide to overcome.
She had to run. That was the only option. Using the teammates as bait to sprint straight for the entrance might let them escape the dungeon. It was the most likely survival method. Fighting and winning wasn’t even an option. At least three B-rank heroes would be required just to face the monster.
Her instinct led her gaze straight to the man. He was the one most likely to help if they fled together. He surely understood the overwhelming threat. If he valued his own life, he would think the same.
As if confirming it, he walked straight toward her. Of course. He would propose they escape together. Maybe even phrase it as a suggestion.
She carefully considered how to respond without losing face.
…But he didn’t go to her. He went to her team leader instead and spoke to him. Her heart skipped. If she clung to pride and missed the chance, it would be troublesome. She hurried over.
“What are you saying?”
Both men’s eyes turned to her. The team leader’s face was already despairing.
“We need a buff.”
“Buff?”
Velita was stunned.
“You’re not planning to fight, are you?”
Buffs only activated on mana, so they would be completely useless for escape. She prayed her bad feeling was wrong.
Kang-jun’s answer shattered her hope.
“We fight. You’re thinking of running?”
“How do we fight that thing?! This is crazy! What level is it!”
The hero pointed into the darkness, veins bulging on her neck. Her voice carried, drawing the teammates’ eyes.
“Running is the only choice. We have no other option.”
Of course Kang-jun understood her reasoning. In her position, it made perfect sense. Fighting meant everyone died, but running gave a sliver of hope that some would survive.
But her teammates’ stamina was far too low to take that chance. They had only covered half the distance. What were the odds of passing the rest without encountering monsters? None. Even if luck somehow let them evade the beast, the rest was obvious.
Of course this woman might survive—her strength was enough against one or two monsters. But the rest would die for sure.
“Then you lot should run. We won’t stop you.”
Velita gritted her teeth at the casual tone that said she already knew they would say that. Damn it. He probably proposed running together out of reluctance to speak directly, then issued this challenge… But the panic was hers. She had no choice but to lower herself.
“…Running with you can save us. Come with me.”
“I’m fighting.”
“You don’t have to go that far. I already lowered myself.”
Kang-jun snorted and turned back to her team leader. The leader had lost all hope. He clearly only wanted to run.
“Buff. Use it.”
Kang-jun said that and spun back toward his own team. That bastard! Velita also ground her teeth and turned. …No choice. Even alone, she had to run.
The team leader approached the panicked Velita. He knew the situation was dire but wanted even one thread of hope.
“Miss Neyestani. What do we do now?”
“What else is there? We run. Fighting that thing? That’s insane. There’s a way, there’s no way.”
Velita shouted, glaring. The teammates’ morale had completely collapsed. Even the strongest here was calling it insane, so the chance of victory was zero. Everyone just wanted to run.
“Spread out as far as possible. Otherwise you all die.”
“Then… what about the buff?”
“Use it or don’t. Do as you like.”
Her resolve was already firm. The D-rank hero team had heard every word. The male hero approached Velita and whispered softly.
“If we go together, we can help each other, senior.”
“…Yes.”
Everyone grabbed the bare minimum supplies and discarded the rest. Hye-mi worriedly asked the runners what was happening.
“It’s fine. Trust me.”
Kang-jun had never once betrayed that trust. The teammates still believed in him completely this time. He stared fixedly at the buff caster. Even if the others ran, he would hold onto that one. The buff was essential.
…And then the monster slowly revealed itself. It wasn’t especially huge despite its high level. It was almost human-shaped. The head of a lion with the legs of a goat. A heavy tail like a kangaroo. Roughly two meters tall.
On the surface it didn’t look impressive. But the mana condensed in that body was staggering. Kang-jun had prepared to fight, but victory without injury was unlikely. It would be a fierce battle.
The monster drew near. The mid-boss reached the imaginary line the team leaders had drawn.
!
At the same time, the team leaders signaled. The moment the signal fell, the teammates scattered and sprinted for their lives. Of course the monster wasn’t passive.
The next scene was, as expected, a horrific slaughter. The beast snatched fleeing humans at terrifying speed and ripped their torsos apart on the spot. It chewed once or twice, then immediately targeted the next.
Kang-jun reached the buff caster just in time. The monster grabbed him before he could get close.
“L- let me go! Let me go! I don’t want to die!”
Kang-jun dragged him straight to Oger-nam’s embrace. The ogre shook his limbs desperately, begging for his life with teary, chicken-dropping eyes.
“Quickly, cast the buff!”
“Save me. I don’t want to die… Hic.”
“Do you really want to die?”
Oger-nam grabbed him by the hair and yanked him backward in threat. The buff caster finally calmed enough to beg again.
“H-how long can it last?”
“G-give me at least ten minutes… Hic.”
Okay. Ten minutes was nothing. Kang-jun shook the buff caster’s head and arms free.
“Buff. Hurry, you bastard! You want to die?!”
The hesitant buff caster couldn’t withstand the threat and finally spread his mana. The mana circles soon bloomed across the floor. Life surged back into their bodies. Kang-jun flicked his sword’s edge with a finger. Ding.
— Honor yourselves by wielding me, humans.
The memory-reset sword had no shame in acting like an old fool. The complaints about pain every time it clashed with the body still rang in his ears.
“Grandjo. Full power.”
— …You, how dare you…
He ignored the usual cliche reaction.
Kang-jun gripped the sword and poured all his remaining mana into speed.
Swipe. Whoosh. The reopened eyes were dead serious.
---
- [System] Sword rental expired. Grandjo returned. (00:00:00)