Chapter 121: The Beast Pack
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 121: The Beast Pack
The C-7 rank dungeon, 'Eyes in the Bushes,' was an open-type dungeon. However, because its setting was a dense jungle, it was known as the most difficult among all C-7 rank dungeons.
Normally, when a dungeon is deemed too difficult, the standard procedure is to defeat the boss and destroy the core to close it. But in this case, the materials harvested from the dungeon boss, Teki, were so versatile that the dungeon was kept active.
Because the rewards were so rare for a C-rank dungeon, it was a popular spot, making it difficult to even book a slot.
Whoa, it’s bright red. A lot of people must have failed.
Usually, a dungeon entrance looks like a crack in thin air, but perhaps because this was a game-like world, the design resembled an antique door frame.
Though slightly worn, the archway was made of stone that felt like marble. A translucent film filled the space where a door should be.
At the very top of the arch, a gemstone was embedded. Its color indicated the current danger level of the dungeon.
The colors shifted from colorless (transparent) to yellow, then blue, and finally red.
If it turned black, it meant a dungeon break was imminent. At that point, high-ranking heroes would be brought in to stabilize it.
The fact that the gem was red meant many parties had failed, and the monsters inside had accumulated a massive amount of experience.
In a dungeon, the more parties that fail, the more combat experience the surviving monsters gain, making them stronger.
If the dungeon isn't reset, the dead monsters respawn every twenty-four hours. By now, we would likely have to clear it from scratch.
I checked the data provided by the staff to see how far the previous parties had progressed.
"Most of them were taken out by Teki," Lee Yu-na said in a worried voice as she looked over my shoulder.
A 'Red' Teki was twice as difficult as a 'Transparent' one.
When a wild beast gains experience and starts becoming cautious, it becomes an endless nuisance.
Dammit, no wonder a slot suddenly opened up.
The Association had hidden the fact that it was Red because heroes were refusing to come. I felt like quitting.
This wasn't something they should hide; they should have increased the reward or provided extra benefits to get it cleared quickly. What the hell is the Association thinking?
They suck the clans dry of every cent they have, yet they pull this kind of slipshod administration. I don't know whose head this came from, but if I catch them, they're dead.
I believed the strength of Black Unicorn would be enough to clear it, but there was always the possibility of an accident. I preferred not to face a boss when it was at its peak strength.
Before entering the dungeon, I gathered the party members.
Usually, tactical meetings were finished the day before, and we would enter the dungeon in silence on the day of the raid. Sensing something was off, the party members waited for me to speak.
"The Wish Ticket. There won't be one this time."
"Eh? So suddenly?"
"It means it's that difficult. Just listen quietly," Lee Yu-na scolded Kwon Ye-jin, who had reacted with surprise.
Except for Ye-jin, everyone else looked serious, having realized the gravity of the situation after seeing the red gemstone.
"There's no need to be too tense. It’s not... not difficult, but we can definitely win. But you know what I always say, right?"
"Every party member returns safely."
Yoon A-young finished my sentence, her gaze intense.
"It’ll probably be at least four times stronger than when we ran the simulations. Don't think of it as the stupid cat you saw during training; fight as if you're facing an experienced hero."
"Don't worry, Master. I'll protect everyone."
"I'm worried about you, Ye-jin. Don't go charging in blindly and get hurt."
"Why don't you just stay quiet and stop drawing aggro? I might not protect you, you know?"
As Lee Yu-na and Kwon Ye-jin bickered, Anna looked at me, clasping her hands into determined fists.
"If the Leader says it's possible, then we can win."
I patted the head of Anna, who gave me her absolute trust, and then gave a reassuring pat to Yoon A-young, who was staring at me silently.
"We will win. Because we are heroes."
"That was cool. Master, can you say that one more time?"
I flicked the forehead of Kwon Ye-jin, who had pulled out her smartphone to start recording, then leaned in and whispered.
"We will win. Because we are heroes."
"Haaah..."
As I whispered in a low, mid-range tone, Kwon Ye-jin let out a lewd moan as if she were excited, her body trembling.
When the other party members looked at her with disapproval, I ended up going to each of them and whispering the same thing.
It was cute how Yoon A-young tilted her ear toward me while pretending she didn't care.
After providing this impromptu ASMR session, I checked my gear.
"I said there's no Wish Ticket for the MVP, but if we make it out safely today, I'll give one to each of you."
I couldn't miss out on dates with these beautiful girls.
At my promise, everyone followed me into the dungeon with bright faces.
I still wasn't fully used to it, but I brought the Astra just in case.
When I used to play games, I’d see character illustrations with guns hanging all over their backs and wonder if it wasn't uncomfortable. Now, I had become that illustration.
Two Astras, two Poltsmith pistols, and even a shotgun slung across my back like a sword.
Looking at my equipment, which was starting to resemble a character illustration, I sighed and checked the comms.
"This is Senior Operator Ryu Ji-hye from the Situation Room. It's a difficult situation, but I pray for Black Unicorn's safe return. I will also do my best to support you."
Ryu Ji-hye always added an extra word of encouragement.
She really was an operator with great social skills and sense.
Even though we had communicated many times during dungeon raids, I had never seen her in person, which made me curious about her face.
"Thank you. I'm counting on you again today."
After confirming the comms, I said the words that flipped the switch for my party members and stepped forward.
Since the dungeon was a jungle, the humid air clung to my skin.
Fortunately, our specially-made costumes automatically regulated our body temperature.
The dungeon's name, 'Eyes in the Bushes,' referred to the predatory beasts.
In a situation where visibility was limited by dense bushes and trees, animal-type monsters would ambush us.
The party members, who were gradually mastering Presence Detection, could now vaguely sense the hidden monsters even without me telling them.
As long as we weren't ambushed, it wasn't too difficult, but the terrain was so rugged that moving around was a chore.
Bang! Bang!
I fired shots to buff Kwon Ye-jin, who was blocking a monster in front, and shouted to Anna.
"Three monsters approaching from the 65-degree direction. Handle them!"
"Yes!"
Anna replied crisply and dashed in the direction I indicated.
I fired a buff at her small rear and then shot at the feet of a monster trying to sneak up on us, summoning tree roots.
As the monsters were flustered by the entangling roots, Anna finished them off. I spread my arms to heal Yoon A-young while simultaneously shooting the head of a large boa constrictor approaching Lee Yu-na, who was up in a tree.
"Yu-na, take care of the one below you!"
Lee Yu-na, who hadn't realized the monster was approaching, aimed her bow downward and struck the head of the boa constrictor I had marked.
"Thank you, Yeon-woo!"
After thanking me, Yu-na drew her bowstring and fired an arrow at a monster that was pushing Kwon Ye-jin back.
After a frantic battle, we took a moment to regroup.
"Phew, I thought a jungle would just be like fighting in a forest, but this is harder than I imagined."
"It would have been dangerous if we hadn't done that Presence Detection training."
"Exactly, Senior. Master really has foresight."
I hadn't specifically trained them for this dungeon, but everyone was adapting well to Presence Detection.
They were still a bit lacking—like how they missed the monster crawling up the tree—but growing this much in such a short time was impressive.
"Are we still planning to handle Teki last?"
"Yeah. It’ll be a pain if other things interfere while we're fighting Teki."
Due to the nature of the jungle, it was often hard to notice hidden enemies during a fight.
If we fought a large predator like Teki, the battlefield would become too wide, increasing the chance of being ambushed by other monsters.
Teki broadcasted its presence everywhere, so it was easy to find.
The easiest method, even if it took more time, was to avoid Teki at first, hunt the other monsters, and then deal with Teki at the end.
"Mapping complete. Teki is currently in Sector C3. Black Unicorn is in Sector F7."
Since it was an open dungeon, drones had been scurrying around since the start of the raid to create a map.
Checking the map sent by Ryu Ji-hye, we continued to move and eliminate monsters.
I could see everyone getting a bit tired from the unfamiliar jungle, but as time passed, the number of monsters decreased significantly.
When I estimated we had cleared about a third of them, we took a short break.
"I'm keeping watch with Mana Detection, so get some good rest."
"Shouldn't you rest a bit too, Yeon-woo?"
"I don't do as much direct combat, so I still have plenty of stamina."
Being able to rest comfortably in a place with limited visibility was a huge merit.
Telling them to rest while staying alert only makes them more on edge, so it's better to rest fully when you can.
While the party members, now accustomed to the Black Unicorn routine, were resting, I looked at the map and spoke with Ryu Ji-hye.
"The monster mana I'm sensing nearby is quite low. Has anything been confirmed by the drones?"
"Nothing confirmed by the drones yet, but our analysis shows that the number of monsters is decreasing along Teki's movement path."
Things were progressing well, but I felt uneasy.
We had only cleared a third, yet monsters were barely visible.
We were moving to avoid Teki, so if they were all near it, we should have seen them in the sectors we already passed.
Were they all huddled in one corner?
"If you permit low-altitude flight despite the risk, I will investigate."
I considered Ryu Ji-hye's suggestion.
Because the dungeon was a jungle, it was hard to see everything clearly just from overhead shots.
However, flying low made the drones easy prey for monsters hiding in the bushes.
But gaining information was more important, even if it meant taking a loss.
"I'll authorize low-altitude flight for three drones. Have two check the distant, unexplored sectors, and the remaining one check around Teki."
"Understood. I will stream the footage as soon as they reach their destinations."
Now, all that was left was to wait for the drone footage.
The party members were recovering their strength with light snacks and drinks.
As I spent time snacking on the treats Anna had brought, Ryu Ji-hye contacted me.
"Activating emergency status under Operator authority."
Ryu Ji-hye broadcasted this not just to me, but to everyone.
The party members jumped up in surprise as the screens on their wrist devices displayed the drone footage.
In the middle of the jungle, the massive Teki emerged with a confident stride.
As if thick-trunked trees were no obstacle at all, the area it passed through was turned into a wasteland.
It was a powerful creature, so that sight wasn't particularly surprising.
The problem, however, was what followed in its wake.
As if it were a king, countless monsters followed behind Teki as it moved.
Half the monsters in the dungeon were gathered there, forming an army.
"The animal-type monsters have formed a pack and are following Teki. As of this moment, Teki is reclassified as a Special Individual, Type D."
It seemed the previous parties had provided it with a lot of experience.
I closed the screen without needing to see more and spoke to the party.
"We're withdrawing. This is a failure."
"Huh? Master, if you give up that easily..."
"Yeon-woo, we haven't even taken any damage yet. If we withdraw now, the aftermath..."
I knew exactly what they were worried about.
In this world, because of the Jewels of Life, there was a deep-seated perception that withdrawing in the face of monsters was an act of cowardice.
Failing a raid was something you did after being resurrected by a Jewel of Life; if we left without even breaking a jewel, I didn't need to see it to know how much people would insult us.
Yoon A-young stared at me silently.
She had seen me run away in a dungeon before.
Perhaps remembering me fleeing in terror back then, she looked at me with a cold expression before starting to pack the supplies she had laid out.
"The Party Leader has spoken. Everyone must follow."
"But Senior..."
"Don't you trust the Party Leader? This isn't about courage or fear. He's decided we're unlikely to win, so we're pulling back. I trust Oppa's judgment."
Yoon A-young showed absolute trust.
It wasn't that the others didn't trust me.
It was just that leaving without doing anything was incomprehensible to their common sense.
"Teki's movement path is estimated to be toward Area A3."
"...What a persistent cat."
A3 was where the dungeon entrance was located.
There was still a long time left before the dungeon would naturally open, so Teki was blocking the entrance to prevent us from leaving.
Seeing Teki block our retreat the moment I mentioned withdrawing, the party members looked at me in silence.
"Looks like you'll get to fight after all."
I shrugged my shoulders.
"My judgment was that there was a high chance someone would be severely injured or die, so I suggested we pull back. Even if we can resurrect, I don't want to see anyone die in front of me."
I smiled at the party members, who were listening intently.
"But I also hate monsters that arrogantly try to hunt us. Since it's come to this, let's show them exactly who's being hunted."
"Yes! That's our Master!"
"I'll hunt my hardest."
"I believe in you, Yeon-woo."
"We're fighting again? What a wishy-washy Party Leader."
Though she grumbled, Yoon A-young had a small smile on her face, seemingly pleased that I had decided to fight, as she drew her weapon again.
Phew—I managed to boost morale with words, but what comes next is the problem.
Based on the data Ryu Ji-hye was sending, I began to devise a tactic to take down that cat who thought it was hot stuff just because it had a little experience.
I will make sure we get out of here without a single person dying.