Chapter 61: The Right Way to Backstab
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 61: The Right Way to Backstab
Rumble—!
"Damn it! It’s back again!"
At Gi-chan’s frustrated shout, Seo-un and the martial artist dashed forward.
"What are you doing?! Everyone, run!"
A skeleton over two meters tall emerged, wreathed in a golden radiance. A crown rested upon its skull, and it gripped a sword in one hand and a staff in the other. The party turned and bolted without a second thought.
Crackle! Boom!
Golden sparks erupted from the staff. They barely managed to dodge the blast, which shook the cavern and gouged the earth where they had stood moments before.
"Don't let it get any closer!" Rimin shouted.
The monster’s aggro was stubbornly long; they had encountered it several times already. To completely lose its pursuit, they needed to buy enough time for the rest of the group to get as far away as possible.
Clang!
As soon as Seo-un closed the distance, the creature swung its sword with startling agility. Seo-un used a Spinning Strike to barely parry the blade, which was wreathed in white flames. Blood seeped from the gashes on his arm.
Rimin grit his teeth and prepared to launch his Sword Aura as he watched Seo-un circle the creature, dodging its strikes. But Seo-un shouted a warning.
"Don't take the aggro! If it switches to its magic patterns, we're dead!"
That was why he was intentionally staying in close range to keep the monster’s attention, despite the danger.
—Hyung, that’s far enough!
The moment he heard Gi-chan’s voice over the Team Voice Chat, Seo-un looked for an opening to retreat.
Downward slash, thrust, diagonal cut.
He dodged every strike as the monster followed its predictable sequence. Frustrated, the creature let out a roar of fury.
—Kuaaaaaah!
Now!
Crunch!
A status ailment notification popped up the moment the monster roared, but Seo-un ignored it. He reached out and smashed the creature’s kneecap with his Blood Bone Claw. The monster stumbled and sank to the ground.
Seo-un sprinted away without looking back, but he felt a heavy surge of mana gathering behind him.
Zzzzzzt!
"Ugh!"
If you were within range of the monster’s roar, you were hit with a debuff that reduced Magic Resistance and physical defense by 50%. Because his high Magic Resistance had been cut in half, withstanding the monster’s lightning was no easy feat.
Seo-un took the full brunt of the lightning to ensure Rimin wouldn't be hit. He barely managed to discharge the electricity into the ground by using a Stomp, leaving his entire body scorched.
"R-run!"
After running for a long time, they finally put enough distance between themselves and the monster. Seo-un reached the spot where the party was waiting and collapsed onto his hands and knees.
"Hyung!"
After receiving a heal from Lyle, Seo-un finally recovered enough to stand up, letting out a long, ragged breath.
"Whew. That monster is a freak. That was seriously dangerous."
"Don't push yourself so hard. You nearly gave me a heart attack," Rimin said.
Seo-un nodded but gave a bitter smile.
Going back a few days, they had first encountered the creature while trying to figure out how to herd Specters after forming their team. Unluckily, the monster had appeared right in front of them exactly 24 hours after the event started.
It had been a brief clash, but the memory of almost being wiped out still sent shivers down his spine. For some reason, the monster hadn't been hunted since then, and the terrifying notification had repeated for days.
[Ding! The Epic Monster, the Wraith of Kutrapa, has successfully hunted a player.]
The number of players killed that way had already reached five. Since then, the Epic Monster had been roaming the dungeon, attacking players. Occasionally, they would run into it with cracks all over its bones.
From that, Seo-un learned two things: there were teams attempting to hunt it, and no team had succeeded yet.
Its recovery rate is insane. There’s no way they can hunt it.
He had formed a hypothesis after that.
The gems that respawned the Specters. The meaning of this place, Kutrapa's Sanctuary. And the Wraith that had awakened as an Epic Monster.
One hypothesis connected all three facts—a story he felt like he’d seen at least once in a game’s lore. Since that day, they had been avoiding both the monster and other players while collecting gems.
If my hypothesis is correct, someone will eventually figure it out. Whether by luck or skill.
And that would be the moment to strike the decisive blow. Until then, they had to run like their lives depended on it.
"But why doesn't that damn monster trigger the Alarm Magic?"
Seo-un didn't bother explaining in detail. For now, it was still just an unproven theory.
"It’s an Epic, after all."
"Epic, my ass."
Harsh words came out of Gi-chan’s mouth, someone who usually didn't use profanity. It was understandable, considering this was the third time Seo-un had taken massive damage.
Two more days passed.
The number of survivors remained unchanged. In the meantime, they encountered the Wraith once more, limping around with cracks all over its body.
As they fled from it, Seo-un’s lips curled into a smirk, his confidence in his hypothesis growing stronger.
*
"Finally found it."
Behind the martial artist who had drawn his sleek sword, nine diverse players stood, their gazes fixed on a single point.
Embedded in the high ceiling of a hollow at the furthest corner of the dungeon was a gem, radiating a faint golden light.
As the martial artist tightened his grip on his sword, a foot-long aura of solidified red energy surged from the blade. He leaped into the air and pierced the gem. The entire dungeon shook violently.
"Tch! It’s sturdier than I thought."
No sooner had he spoken than a monstrous shriek echoed through the air.
—Kuaaaaaaaaaah!
*
The entire dungeon trembled slightly, and then a deafening shriek spread in all directions. Immediately after, a notification rang out to announce the anomaly.
[Ding! Ye Haoran’s Party has begun hunting the Epic Monster.]
Seo-un hadn't expected the system to be kind enough to provide a notification. He smirked and stood up.
"Everyone, hurry!"
He sprang to his feet and checked the map. Sure enough, a corner of the pitch-black map was pulsing with light. Seo-un and his party dashed toward it without hesitation.
Rumble—!
Thud!
Aaaagh!
As they approached the source of the grim sounds, the party held their breath and hid. The area where the noise originated was surrounded by walls, with only a small entrance. Entering the hollow through that opening was a daunting prospect.
"Ten."
"Thirteen."
"Ten."
"Ten."
"Thirteen."
"I have no idea."
They were whispering under the cover of a Silence spell. Only Dump tilted his head and gave a blunt answer.
Everyone else had estimated the enemy's numbers based on the presences they felt inside. Dump, who hadn't learned magic and only knew the basic forms of martial arts, couldn't pick up any presence at all.
"So, ten inside, and eighteen who haven't arrived yet. They’ll be here soon."
That was the main reason they were waiting instead of rushing in. Seide bit his nails anxiously.
"What if they succeed in the hunt...?"
Seo-un calmed him down, as Seide couldn't take his eyes off the source of the loud battle noises.
"I know the Epic Monster's items are tempting, but let's keep our goal clear. Our target isn't the Epic Monster. It’s to climb as high as possible in the rankings. No matter how good the items are, they’re useless if we don't have enough coins."
At those words, Seide reined in his impatience. He realized his greed had made him forget what was truly important.
Though he said that to Seide, Seo-un couldn't help but feel greedy for the Epic Monster himself.
It would be great if we could steal it.
In games, the most thrilling moment is stealing the killing blow on a boss from an enemy.
As he thought that, a booming voice echoed from inside the hollow.
—Refrain from using magic unless its attention is away from me!
Ye Haoran, who had blocked the white-flamed sword with his own blade wreathed in Sword Aura, shouted as he traded blows with the monster.
When they first engaged it, they had been caught off guard, and one teammate had been sacrificed. However, the monster’s attack patterns were overly simple.
When enemies were far away, it fired golden lightning; when they were close, it swung its flaming sword. Since it repeated only three patterns with its sword, it wasn't difficult for an expert of his caliber to keep it pinned down.
Clang! Crack!
Deflecting the monster’s heavy downward strike, Ye Haoran fluidly broke the creature’s ribs. The Wraith threw its head back and shrieked.
—Kuaaaaaah!
[The Wraith’s Fear has reduced your Magic Resistance and physical defense by half.]
The notification appeared, but Ye Haoran didn't even blink. There was no way he would let himself be hit by a creature that could only perform such low-level attacks.
Outside the hollow, Seo-un, who was lying flat on the ground, began to grow anxious. He had given Seide a plausible explanation, but he worried that the Epic Monster might fall and they would miss their timing, ending up with nothing.
Hurry up and get here.
Perhaps his wish was heard.
"Hyung! The Alarm Magic went off."
Even though Silence was active, Gi-chan whispered, and every team member held their breath. Thirteen players appeared in front of the hollow’s entrance, moving as fast as the wind.
"It’s them."
The ones who had been slaughtering players at the dungeon entrance. Seo-un nodded as he recognized several familiar faces.
"That makes three more to go."
"Maybe the remaining players decided to camp?"
"Could be. It’s not a bad idea to wait for the player count to drop here."
If he hadn't been able to fill his own ranks, he would have made the same choice.
As the new team entered the hollow, a sudden commotion broke out. The sounds of shouting and combat grew even more intense.
"Perfect timing."
With those words, the party, who had been lying flat, stood up. Peeking into the hollow from the entrance, they saw a scene of utter carnage.
The Wraith, its body shattered and barely able to swing its staff, was surrounded by several scattered supply boxes. The two teams were locked in a fierce battle, engaged in a psychological tug-of-war to protect the cracked yellow gem in the ceiling from each other.
Though he had never seen him before, Seo-un could instantly tell which of the many players was Ye Haoran. An expert who could sever the Wraith’s staff-wielding hand with a single stroke of red Sword Aura couldn't possibly go unnoticed.
Having taken damage beyond its limit, the Wraith knelt and hung its head, the blue light in its hollow eyes fading. At that moment, the golden gem glowed, healing the Wraith.
"Wipe them all out!"
Seeing him command the battlefield while swinging his Sword Aura, Rimin spoke with a stiff expression.
"I had a feeling, but it really is him."
"You know him?"
"The Eldest Disciple of the Sagang Province. In our world, he’s called the greatest rising star of all time."
The greatest of all time. It was a title rarely used even in martial arts circles. If he had earned such a title, he undoubtedly possessed the skill to back it up.
Seeing Rimin look more tense than he had during the fight with the perverted madman, Seo-un patted his shoulder.
"The situation is perfect. Take them all out."
At his command, the party pulled out glowing white gems from their subspaces and hurled them into the hollow.
As twenty-one gems rained down into the center of the hollow, the enemies, who had been mid-fight, spotted Seo-un’s group at the entrance and tried to go on guard. However, they were soon distracted by the Specters that began to fill the hollow.
The sight of nearly five hundred Specters filling the hollow and wailing was a magnificent spectacle.
—Kieeeeeee!
—Haaaaaaaah!
Players were swept away, panicked by the storm of Specters. Simultaneously, the Wraith’s eyes glowed as its recovery rate skyrocketed due to the Specters' presence. Amidst it all, the brilliant martial artist cut through both players and Specters with his Sword Aura.
"We’ll all die at this rate! Let's team up and clear the monsters first!"
At someone’s shout, Seo-un’s eyes gleamed.
"Who said you could? Get them!"
Seo-un’s party charged into the carnage where the Wraith was rising, the army of Specters was swarming, and the two teams were fighting tooth and nail.
They targeted two mages and a knight who had been separated from their group while fighting the Specters, unleashing a concentrated assault on the three players. Naturally, the three stood no chance.
Crunch!
Seo-un pierced the helmeted knight’s head with his Blood Bone Claw, and blood sprayed from the gaps in the visor.
"Watch out! They’re targeting us from behind!"
"Those bastards are the ones who caused this!"
Several players who had been wary of Seo-un’s group shouted. However, occupied by the resurrected Wraith and the Specters, they couldn't immediately do anything about Seo-un’s party.
—Kieeee!
Watching Rimin instantly cut down a swarm of Specters, Seo-un spoke.
"It was hard work gathering all these. Just push them back for now. The aggro is all on those guys anyway."
To the party members carrying weapons coated in Holy Water, the Specters weren't much of a threat—just annoying flies.
But for the other players in the hollow, it was a different story. Without magic, there was no way to deal with them. Consequently, they were forced to huddle around the mages to fend off the Specters.
Of course, there were exceptions.
The greatest of all time, huh?
Seo-un’s gaze lingered on Ye Haoran, who was blocking the Wraith’s attacks while simultaneously cleaving through the swarming Specters with his Sword Aura.