Chapter 52: Dungeon 48 Exploration (7)

Agaleus snatched up a human and crunched down, swallowing the head and part of the torso whole. The beast was getting a taste for human flesh and blood. Ten people had already been devoured, yet it still craved more. With no resistance and such delicious meat, there was no better prey.

It tossed the limp remains aside and moved toward its next target. …Just then, it sensed something approaching swiftly from behind. Instinctively, the monster twisted its body. Something grazed its back and elbow.

— !

Agaleus let out a shriek and rolled across the ground. Its side split open, and its right arm was severed cleanly below the elbow. But its overwhelming regeneration sealed the wounds in an instant. The lost arm grew back at a visible pace.

Kang-jun realized his attempt to slice through the creature's waist had failed. Its reaction speed was faster than anticipated. Still, the cursed magic sword's passive damage-over-time effect would keep working, so landing a hit wasn't a total loss.

The curse's effect was halved against the beast, but Grandjo's curse wasn't something to dismiss lightly.

Yet, a level 300 monster was no joke. It counterattacked with blinding speed, as if it hadn't even registered being struck.

‘Ugh…!’

The creature lunged at Kang-jun at terrifying speed, jaws gaping wide. The velocity was overwhelming. Without the magic sword's stat bonuses, he might not have dodged. Kang-jun twisted his body at the last second, narrowly avoiding its teeth.

The fangs, sharp enough to slice through air, bit down on nothing. But the beast's attack wasn't over. It swung its massive tail like a blunt weapon. Kang-jun ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠raised his sword just in time, but the impact was staggering.

He was launched through the air. Fortunately, he managed to right himself mid-fall, avoiding a humiliating tumble.

That bastard.

…After taking one hit, a sudden sense of injustice welled up. Back in the day, level 300 monsters would wet themselves just from his glare. Now, he had to burn 100 coupons just to match their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠level.

The more he thought about it, the more resentment he felt toward the original protagonist. If that bastard had just taken care of his own dick…! The anger management issues from his second playthrough nearly resurfaced.

‘You better not think about playing with my dick when we meet, you son of a bitch.’

Of course, there was no time to contemplate how to torment the protagonist. The monster in front of him was the immediate threat.

Kang-jun gripped the hilt so tightly his knuckles turned white. The creature was undeniably powerful for a mid-boss. …But it was still a beast. Slightly smarter than the other fodder due to its humanoid form, but not by much.

He couldn't even imagine how badly he'd be roasted in the chat if he lost to something this stupid. He had to win, just to avoid that humiliation.

— Tai Chi Divine Sword.

The pinnacle of formlessness. Trapped within the form of swordsmanship, yet simultaneously beyond form.

He hadn't mastered it completely, but he'd trained enough to use it in combat. That's why he could dispatch Death Knights with a single strike.

‘If I'd mastered this back then, could I have beaten that bastard?’

He'd wondered that before. If mastery was measured on a scale of ten stars, he was only at five. Essentially, he was still mimicking.

Without a master to guide him, further progress was difficult. In Dungeon 3, there was only one old man who used swords.

Swords weren't highly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠regarded in this dungeon. Magic and superpowers were the norm. Wielding weapons was seen as a fallback for those lacking talent in magic or abilities.

Kang-jun's body moved faster than lightning. The magic sword traced a diagonal arc in an instant.

Absolute stat differences couldn't be ignored, but movements honed through relentless repetition defied simple calculations. Just as tools and techniques had elevated humans to apex predators.

The beast, relying on instinct to dodge, had to compensate with raw stats. But Kang-jun, with countless battle experiences, predicted beyond that.

— !

The monster, believing it had evaded the attack, realized its torso was sliced diagonally. Blood sprayed. It leapt backward, clinging to the ceiling. The wound healed quickly, but the body continued to ache. The curse was working.

The creature was genuinely enraged. A guttural growl echoed. Agaleus kicked off the ceiling with its hind legs. Boom. It descended faster than sound. Kang-jun twisted to dodge, but the beast pressed the attack relentlessly. Holding his breath, he swung his sword with all his might.

He severed Agaleus's left arm, but couldn't negate the blunt force impact. Kang-jun was sent flying again, landing hard on the ground. His wrist and forearm ached. The monster's physical strength was formidable.

The team held their breath, watching the two monsters clash. They couldn't make out the details of the fight—only waiting to see who would fall first. Hye-mi clasped her hands to her chest, pacing anxiously.

Zixu's eyebrows furrowed slightly. Her usually tightly closed lips parted, revealing a glimpse of white teeth. A hint of worry showed on her face.

‘Please…’

At her level, she couldn't gauge the monster's true strength. She only knew it was overwhelmingly powerful.

If Kang-jun, who could defeat Death Knights in one hit, was struggling this much, just how monstrous was this thing? …Now she understood why people had fled in droves. They must have seen no hope of victory.

Each clash sent shockwaves rippling through the air. The buff caster was starting to strain. The limit was approaching.

‘The mana pool is weakening.’

Kang-jun felt the buff effects gradually fading. They said ten minutes, but it felt like less than five. He'd been so focused on the fight that time had slipped away unnoticed.

It was time to settle this. At least the curse's damage-over-time was slowing the beast's movements. A small victory.

"I'm going all in on this next strike. Channel all your power into the curse."

"It's the final attack anyway."

The curse had done its job. Kang-jun gathered all his strength. Veins bulged on his hand gripping the hilt.

The magic sword slowly moved behind Kang-jun's left waist. He positioned himself for a swift, powerful swing.

Hssss. Kang-jun inhaled deeply, then held his breath. He exploded forward, stomping the ground with all his might. In an instant, he appeared before the beast. Of course, the monster had already read his movement and was swinging its arm.

— Tai Chi Infinite Heaven-Body Unity Sword.

The same technique that had slain Heavenly Demon Jozu. The ultimate skill of the Tai Chi Divine Sword.

Back then, it had been amplified by immense stats and synergy, but now it was a fraction of that power.

Still, it was more than enough to slay the mid-boss before him. It was a final technique that poured all his mana into one strike—yet also a killing blow.

The magic sword knew it had been swung dozens of times in the blink of an eye. The speed was staggering.

— !

Agaleus had blocked the initial attack and was about to counter with its tail, but the sudden burst of sword strikes left it defenseless. It hadn't anticipated such rapid, unexpected attacks. The beast's intelligence couldn't predict or prepare for this.

The mid-boss, Agaleus, collapsed in place, slowly disintegrating. Kang-jun exhaled the breath he'd been holding as the creature fell. Then he crumpled. Dizziness and pain flooded him like a dam breaking—he couldn't stand.

"Senior!"

"Captain!"

The team members rushed toward him.

Grandjo, its limp arm dangling, slammed its head into the ground before dissolving into smoke and being recalled.

Kang-jun, slumped on the ground, squeezed his eyes shut and endured the spinning dizziness. It was the rare sensation of mana exhaustion.

"Senior, senior!"

Hye-mi immediately dropped to her knees beside him, checking his condition. Zixu examined him from the other side. Fortunately, there were no fatal injuries. Still, Hye-mi poured healing magic into him.

"Amazing, captain. Truly amazing."

Oger-nam felt genuine respect for Kang-jun, who had somehow killed that monstrous creature. The fight had been long, but it didn't seem like he'd been pushed to the brink of death.

The buff caster also trudged over to confirm the monster's death. He plopped down on the ground and burst into tears. Having survived something so deadly, the relief was overwhelming.

"Everyone, wait a moment. Let me catch my breath."

Kang-jun sat cross-legged and began practicing the Heavenly Demon Mind Method. He circulated the meager amount of recovered mana to rapidly replenish his reserves.

The team waited silently beside him until he opened his eyes. After about twenty minutes, Kang-jun finally exhaled deeply and opened his eyes. Hye-mi was tearfully clinging to his shoulder.

"I really, really thought you were going to die… sniff."

Zixu's eyes were slightly red too. She'd been terrified inside.

Oger-nam calmly remarked that a captain wouldn't die in a place like this. Kang-jun looked at the untouched boss corpse. He needed to secure the mana core. With that, they could cover all their losses from this expedition and then some.

He called for the troll woman.

"Selah, check that. See if there's a mana core."

The troll woman immediately rummaged through the monster's corpse. The organs were still warm, as it had only recently died.

"Found something, captain!"

She pulled out a fist-sized orb slick with blood. Everyone's eyes widened. They'd never seen a mana core up close before.

"Isn't that really expensive?"

At the sight of the mana core, everyone dreamed of a pink future. They'd been worried about how to cover their massive losses from this trip.

"Take just that. …Let's move out."

"Senior, are you sure? You collapsed."

"I'm not dying. We need to leave this place."

Hye-mi bit her lower lip, looking at Kang-jun's bloodshot eyes. But she had no other words. They weren't completely out of danger yet.

The team, including the buff caster, headed back toward the entrance. Fortunately, there were no more waves. However, a few monsters still lingered in spots. Kang-jun avoided them, taking a wide detour.

They walked and rested in turns. Then, Kang-jun sensed something approaching from nearby. It was heading straight for them.

As he tried to move away, a voice called out from the other side.

— Wait… Wait a minute. I'm here. I'm h-here!

It wasn't a monster's roar—it was a human's cry. Kang-jun's team stopped and turned around.

Soon, someone gasping for breath emerged into the light. A woman, nearly reduced to a skeleton. Kang-jun recognized her immediately. It was the C-rank female hero.

She'd somehow survived without a light source. Her survival instinct was as tenacious as a cockroach's. She'd probably been using mana detection to avoid monsters and barely stay alive. …Though she'd been carrying a lamp when she fled earlier.

"I survived. I survived. huff."

The hero collapsed face-first, sobbing without a shred of dignity.

"I'll never come to a place like this again. sniff, Mommy."

Kang-jun looked down at her bowed head and spoke, his tone uneasy.

"Stop crying. Are you trying to summon more monsters?"

"sniff. sniff."

She listened, though. Then she began stammering an explanation for how she ended up like this. She must have realized how embarrassing her earlier wailing was.

"The guy who went with me died… and the lamp he was holding got eaten too. I couldn't see anything, so I had no choice."

"What about a flashlight?"

"T-that was with him too…"

She'd been completely used as a pawn. Of course, Kang-jun had little interest in her situation. He didn't expect gratitude for saving her. Velita, who had been trailing behind, thanked him.

"T-thank you. …How did you escape so well?"

"No, actually…"

The buff caster tried to correct the misunderstanding.

"Enough. Just shut up and follow. I'll deal with your mouth later."

Kang-jun silenced the buff caster's flapping mouth. The hero glanced at him cautiously. Kang-jun was in charge now.

After a long walk, they finally passed through Zone 8. Just one or two more hours to the entrance. The hero's posture straightened slightly, feeling safer.

"Thank you. I'll repay this favor properly later."

"It's fine. Consider it mutual misfortune. Let's forget it."

The hero's mouth dropped open at Kang-jun's cold refusal.

The air was changing. Hssss. Hye-mi took a deep breath of the clearer air and exhaled. Her whole body ached, but she forced herself to keep going, knowing this was the end.

Ding ding. Kang-jun's phone rang multiple times. As they neared the entrance, signal was returning.

Everyone's faces lit up at the sound. …And one hour later, they finally reached the last checkpoint. The sky was visible through the tunnel leading to the entrance.

The tunnel was littered with monster corpses. A fierce battle had clearly taken place here. They slowly climbed to the surface, passing through the checkpoint filled with foul-smelling remains. Finally. Bright smiles appeared on everyone's faces.

After nearly twenty hours of chaos, they stepped onto the ground. Everyone was on the verge of collapse. All except Kang-jun collapsed onto the concrete floor. The surrounding area was a mess from repeated monster attacks.

They were quickly spotted by the guards monitoring the entrance. Several ambulances rushed over and loaded them up. Kang-jun climbed into one as well.

Lying down, his vision swaying under the lights, Kang-jun closed his eyes and drifted into a coma-like sleep.