The Hidden Boss Froze
“H-Hidden Boss!”
The leader’s scream echoed through the stone chamber.
Hidden Boss. The worst disaster that could emerge from an E-class dungeon.
Far stronger than a regular boss, the kind of monster most hunters never even encounter once in their careers.
And of all places.
The side path we’d chosen to avoid the boss room just happened to be the hidden boss’s nest.
“Damn it! Run! This isn’t something we can handle!”
The leader backpedaled like he was about to hurl his spear.
The party members were already scrambling toward the entrance, asses first.
But it was too late.
The black-armored knight standing in the center of the chamber—the Corrupted Knight—had already drawn its sword.
Hidden Boss Encounter!
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Shiiiing.
Black mana rose along the blade like heat haze. The blue glow from within its helmet swept over our party.
It was killing intent. Not mere hostility, but clear murderous rage: I’ll slaughter every intruder.
The thing kicked off the ground and leaped.
Incredible speed.
Stones shattered on the floor as a black shadow rained down over my head.
“Argh!”
I was at the very back.
To escape, I needed to be first, but terror had locked my legs in place.
The knight swung its sword down from midair.
The tip aimed straight for my crown.
Time seemed to slow.
I’m dead.
This time for real.
No dodging, no hiding.
I reflexively squeezed my eyes shut—then snapped them wide in horror.
The instinct to not see my death clashed with the desperate will to live, leaving my eyelids trembling.
That’s when it happened.
Two hundred.
Just two hundred people.
But the moment the number ticked up, the air in the chamber grew oppressively heavy.
I couldn’t even blink.
It felt like hundreds of gazes plastered to the back of my head, surging forward all at once.
Do it.
Show us.
F-rank’s true power.
Their stares poured through my eyes toward the knight descending from above.
And the thing before me, hidden boss or not, was just another monster from an E-class dungeon.
Vrrr—
The air vibrated.
As if an invisible giant had seized the knight’s arm.
The descending sword halted midair.
“……!”
The blue glow in the knight’s helmet flickered. The blade stopped ten centimeters from my nose.
It must have wanted to cleave down. Muscles straining, mana pouring in to split my skull.
But its body wouldn’t obey.
A crushing pressure, like hundreds of hands clutching its limbs.
And from this pathetic human before it, an incomprehensible, overwhelming presence.
The knight shuddered. What is this human?
Why won’t it cut? Why is the sword… so heavy?
I was frozen, couldn’t even breathe.
The icy blade right in front of my eyes.
The knight’s arm trembling violently.
Why… why isn’t it killing me?
I screamed internally. Just kill me already, or get the hell out of the way!
This suspense is worse! Trembling there with the sword raised—it could drop any second and crush my head!
But it couldn’t move.
Instead, it barely gripped the quivering blade and staggered back a step.
Clank.
The armor clashed together.
The knight was retreating.
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The chat was exploding. I was going insane with frustration.
The knight wasn’t shaking—I was! My legs were jelly, one wrong move from pissing myself!
The party members witnessing this from behind were even more shocked.
“W-What the hell is that?”
“The hidden boss… stopped?”
The leader muttered in a trembling voice.
“Minsu-ssi… no, wait a sec.”
The leader licked his lips, choosing his words.
His face said he still couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Did… did Minsu-ssi really stop that thing?”
I couldn’t answer.
If I opened my mouth, a scream would come out first.
My jaw was chattering too hard for words anyway.
So I just clamped my mouth shut and glared at the knight with teary eyes.
To them, that looked like a silent warning.
Touch me and die.
The knight hesitated and lowered its sword.
Terror filled the glow in its helmet.
Viewers’ anticipation is rising.
The numbers kept climbing. Three hundred.
Three fifty. Someone must’ve dropped coordinates on the community boards.
With every increase, breathing got harder.
Now even the air in the whole chamber felt weighted down—not just the knight.
Dust settled on the floor. Torch flames guttered low.
The knight’s armor creaked.
Even holding the sword looked like a struggle.
“Grrr…”
It let out a low groan.
Attack instinct warring with flight instinct.
But the viewers didn’t stop.
What the hell are these psychos saying?
Don’t provoke it!
If it snaps and charges, I’m the one who dies!
I prayed silently.
Please just go.
Get the hell out of here.
Then the knight slammed its sword into the ground.
Boom!
And dropped to one knee.
Clank.
“……?”
I couldn’t trust my eyes.
Surrender?
No way, surrender?
No, it wasn’t surrendering.
Its legs had buckled under invisible weight. Too heavy to stand, it collapsed.
But to onlookers,
it looked like a knight kneeling before a king.
“Whoa…”
The leader gasped from behind.
“Insane…”
The party buzzed. Their gazes had changed.
No longer treating me like a porter. Awe.
Fear. Respect.
“Minsu-ssi… no, Minsu-nim.”
The leader called cautiously.
The honorific had shifted.
“Will you… handle that thing?”
Handle it?
Me?
That black tin can?
I tried to shake my head furiously.
But my neck was stiff. It just twitched awkwardly.
The leader took that as affirmation.
“As expected… no need for you to even lift a finger?”
No, I can’t!
I’m too scared to move!
But the leader had already interpreted it his way.
He aimed his spear at the knight and shouted.
“We’ll finish it! Minsu-nim gave us the opening!”
“Yaaah!”
The party charged with cheers. The frozen, kneeling knight was basically a sandbag.
It couldn’t even counter, pummeled under the crushing weight—not a finger could twitch.
“Kraaagh!”
The knight screamed and collapsed.
Its helmet flew off, dissolving into black smoke.
Hidden Boss Defeated.
Viewers are cheering.
My legs gave out—I nearly collapsed.
But the leader rushed over and steadied my shoulder.
His hand was shaking.
“Thank you… we survived thanks to you.”
“N-No…”
“The rumors were true after all. The F-rank thing… was it a disguise?”
Disguise my ass.
Check my bank balance and you’d shut up.
But I couldn’t say a word.
Denying it now would just make things weirder.
I couldn’t handle those eyes.
So I just gave a vague smile and mumbled,
“We got lucky.”
The leader’s gaze deepened.
“Even humble…”
Oh god, please.
Stop misunderstanding.
I stumbled out of the chamber.
Behind me, the party scrambled for the hidden boss’s drops.
“Jackpot! Magic stone crystal!”
“This has to be worth at least five million won!”
They chattered excitedly. I felt like death.
Would they even share my cut? In this vibe, asking felt awkward.
“Haa…”
I sighed again.
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The number wasn’t dropping.
It was climbing higher.
When does this stream even end?
Can it end?
I trudged out along the forest path.
The party surrounded me like bodyguards escorting a VIP.
“Minsu-nim, this way.”
“Water?”
“We’ll carry your gear.”
The dealer grunted under my 40kg pack.
I walked empty-handed,
with the most uncomfortable expression in the world,
exiting the dungeon.
Outside the gate.
Sunlight poured down.
But my heart was still lost in the pitch-black dungeon.
And that moment.
Ding.
Entering real-time search trends.
Search Term: F-rank Hunter Hidden Boss
A new alert popped in the chat.
Dread hit me. I pulled out my phone.
Hunter Gallery community.
Top wholesome post #1.
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In the GIF, I stood unflinching before the knight’s sword—actually too frozen to blink,
arrogant expression—actually sheer terror,
looking down at it.
And the knight trembled before me before kneeling.
“……I’m screwed.”
I nearly dropped my phone.
No escape now.
The whole country was about to misunderstand me.