Chapter 21: Episode 21

“Excellent work, Tower Master.”

After the battle, Seojin approached me.

“That was an impressive display, but you don’t look particularly pleased.”

I wondered how he knew.

“I’ve just got something on my mind.”

“Something on your mind, Tower Master?”

“The path I should take with my magic,” I admitted.

That was all I said, but Seojin nodded in understanding.

“It’s only natural to contemplate your approach,” he offered. “That’s a difficult question with no single answer, so it may take some time. However, I see no reason to be impatient.”

He had a point. I had only just learned second-order magic. There was no need to rush.

“Thanks.”

“Of course.”

Just then, Bora grabbed my arm, her voice urgent.

“Come on, let’s go! We’re going to be late for the boss fight!”

Right. I’d completely forgotten. Despite the brief interruption, we resumed our trek toward the boss zone.

* * *

At the far end of the vast lava field, a sea of molten rock churned and swelled, stretching to the horizon. A ruined marble temple stood on a jut of land that extended into it like a peninsula. This was the location the Hunter Association had designated for the boss’s appearance, and a crowd had already gathered.

As we stepped inside the temple, a few people called out to us.

“The academy students are here!”

“This gear works great! Thanks!”

“I’m really sorry to ask, but do you have any more in stock?”

Somehow, Bora and I had become minor celebrities in the Lava Cave. I glanced around and saw that most of the players in the boss zone were wearing the resistance gear I’d crafted. Some wore it like a vest over their clothes, others underneath their armor, and a few had even wrapped it around their arms or necks like a fashion statement. A strange sense of satisfaction washed over me.

“Are you all here for the boss fight?” a friendly-looking man with a massive hammer slung over his shoulder asked as he approached.

“Ah, yes, we are.”

“If you’re from the Academy, your skills are practically guaranteed. How about joining our party…?”

“Don’t listen to him,” another player cut in. “That’s a trash party with three tanks. You should join our balanced team instead!”

“If the three of you are willing,” a third voice added, “our guild would be honored to have you.”

Suddenly, we were at the center of a fierce recruitment war. In field dungeons, boss monsters appeared at set times, and players formed parties or even full-scale raids to take them down. The truth was, however, that field bosses weren’t strong enough to withstand the combined assault of so many people. The concentrated firepower of just a few parties could fell a boss in under five minutes, turning the encounter into a simple DPS race.

I was confident in my own damage output, and a larger party would only complicate the reward distribution, so I had no intention of joining anyone.

“We’re planning to take it on ourselves, just the three of us,” I said, politely declining.

“Oh, is that so?”

“What a shame.”

Fortunately, no one pressed the issue. We found an open spot near the temple and settled in to wait.

“Ugh, there are so many people. It’s going to be tough to get any decent rewards, isn’t it?” Bora lamented, scanning the crowd. “But hey, let’s not get too hung up on it! We’ve already made thirty million won just from being here!”

“You’re the only one hung up on it,” Seojin retorted dryly.

“Why do you always have to start something with me?”

As I watched their familiar bickering, I overheard a nearby party’s conversation.

“How much longer until the boss shows up?”

“Haaah… Who knows? It’ll get here when it gets here.”

“But how does the Association even know the signs of a boss monster’s appearance?”

“Uh, I heard they have specialists with abilities for that.”

He was right. Just as my Sage’s Eye allowed me to see other players’ status windows, certain individuals could read a dungeon’s information. When a dungeon opened, the Association dispatched these specialists, and the data they gathered was posted online. Of course, we had our own source.

’Ea, how much time is left?’ I asked.

-Five minutes until the boss appears.

We weren’t lagging behind on intel. The Magic Tower’s Great Library contained a comprehensive archive on every dungeon imaginable. As long as I knew a dungeon’s name, I could access not only the characteristics of its monsters but also the signs and location of its boss.

-However, Tower Master. Perhaps…

’What is it?’

-…It is nothing.

While I was talking with the others, a uniformed Association employee entered the Boss Zone. His arrival signaled that the fight was imminent. Tense expressions spread through the crowd as players rose to their feet. The employee glanced at his watch with a bored expression.

“The boss fight will commence in three minutes.”

Ea’s information was, as always, precise. In a field dungeon where dozens of parties fought at once, the boss battle was over in a flash. Landing a decisive, effective blow was everything. I focused, checking my internal mana reserves and preparing to deploy a magic circle at a moment’s notice. The employee announced one minute remaining.

-Tower Master.

Ea’s voice echoed in my mind again. She’d been acting strangely.

-This may sound alarming, but I recommend you and your companions withdraw from the Boss Zone immediately.

’What? You want me to leave now? Right before the boss fight?’

-The current signs of the boss monster’s appearance differ from those of a typical Lava Cave boss.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“Yusin! Hurry up! We have to get at least one hit in!” Bora shouted, already deep inside the temple with Seojin.

’Those two…’ I thought with a sigh. So much for not being hung up on rewards.

“The Lava Cave boss fight will now begin!” the employee announced.

“WOOOOAH!”

I yelled for my friends, but my voice was swallowed by the roar of the crowd.

’Damn it! Ea, answer me! If it’s not the Lava Cave boss, then what is it?’

-There is a high probability that an Irregular, not the expected monster, will appear.

An Irregular?

After the initial roar, an eerie silence fell over the temple. The time had come, but nothing had appeared. The Association employee was staring at his watch in confusion when it happened.

’Thump!’

From the edge of the temple, a hand emerged from the sea of lava. It gripped the stone, and a monstrous form slowly hauled itself onto the land. It had skin as red as molten rock, a hulking frame reminiscent of a sumo wrestler, and the snarling, twisted head of a canine predator, its maw filled with razor-sharp teeth. In its hand, it gripped a twin blade, lethally sharp on both ends.

What was that thing?

-Searching… The entity is not listed on the Hunter Association’s website or in my database. I will cross-reference the archives in the Great Library.

I shouted for Bora and Seojin again, trying to gather them.

“The boss is here! What is everyone waiting for?” a man nearby yelled, charging forward with reckless bravado.

The monster’s eyes rolled toward him, and it exhaled a pale, misty breath.

“RAAAAAAH!” the swordsman roared, swinging his mana-coated blade.

’CLANG!’

The weapons met with a deafening shriek of metal. The swordsman’s arms were thrown upward as if they were attached to a deflated doll. The difference in strength was absolute. In that single opening, the boss lunged.

“…Huh? What?”

’SLASH!’

A diagonal line split the man’s torso, and a fountain of blood erupted, staining the marble tiles crimson. He stared down at the wound in disbelief.

’Slice!’

His head sailed through the air.

“G-GAAAAAAAH!”

Horrified screams echoed through the temple. It was only now that everyone seemed to realize something was terribly wrong. The monster, having tossed the human head aside like a toy, knelt and pressed its hand to the ground.

’RUMBLE!’

The ground cracked and split. The entire boss zone, once a solid peninsula, broke away from the mainland and began to drift into the sea of lava. The players who had sensed the danger and tried to flee were forced to a dead stop.

“D-Did it just block our escape route?”

’SWISH!’

The boss dove into the crowd. Before our eyes, an arm went flying.

“AAAAARGH!”

That scream was only the beginning. Body parts began to litter the air—arms, legs, even heads. The sight of mangled flesh spraying blood was a surreal, nightmarish tableau.

“Th-This is insane!”

“What the hell is happening?!”

Panic seized the crowd. These provisionally licensed players, who spent their days grinding low-rank dungeons, were not accustomed to death. To them, hunting was like a game: enter a field, follow a strategy guide, and kill monsters whose patterns were already known. They all dreamed of becoming pro hunters, but how many were truly prepared for the reality of it?

You could make a decent living just by running low-rank dungeons, so many never pushed further. They all shared a common weakness: when faced with a variable that wasn’t in the manual, they crumbled with shocking ease.

The Boss Zone descended into a pit of chaos in an instant.

Flesh tore and blood flew. ’Slash! Crack!’ I was witnessing a massacre. These players, hailed as humanity’s miracle against the monster threat, were reduced to helpless scarecrows the moment their will to fight was broken.

“What is everyone doing? It’s not like we haven’t seen people die in a dungeon before!”

“If you’re not going to fight, get out of the way!”

A few aggressive, guild-affiliated players pushed forward. Their affiliation suggested they were promising prospects, serious about going pro. They were different, that much was clear. They remained composed even as people died around them, moving in a tight, disciplined formation.

But a cold assessment told me it wasn’t enough.

“T-Team Leader!”

“Fall back! Everyone, fall back!”

Even they were no match for the Irregular. This monster was intelligent. Instead of engaging the Shielded tank at the front, it suddenly leaped sideways, assassinating a defenseless sniper. It then exploited the openings created by the players’ shock, picking them off one by one. You might get used to seeing death, but watching the head fly off a comrade you were just laughing with moments before is another matter entirely. Even the guild players were beginning to waver.

“S-Seven people are already dead!”

“What happened? I thought field dungeon bosses were supposed to be weak!”

Everyone was running, a panicked, disorganized mob. I wanted to unleash my magic, but the chaos made it impossible to get a clear shot. The archers around me were just as flustered. At this rate, we were all going to die.

“Oh!”

“Over there…!”

A murmur went through the crowd as everyone pointed in the same direction.

Two men were crossing from the mainland, gliding along a mana thread they had strung to the temple. Only true professionals were capable of such a feat.

“H-Hunters!”

“Pro hunters are here! We’re saved!”

Sighs of relief and thunderous cheers erupted. The hunters landed gracefully, soaking in the players’ adoration.

“I am Kang Hyeon, a certified rank-5 hunter. Everyone, please remain calm.”

“Choi Jincheon, also rank-5. This is nothing special. Sometimes boss monsters can be a bit of a handful.”

Their composed demeanor was reassuring, but a knot of anxiety tightened in my gut. This was an Irregular. Weren’t they a little too relaxed?

“The hunters have arrived. Move, please make way.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of this, and the rewards will be distributed fairly…”

’CRASH!’

The players at the front were sent flying like bowling pins as the monster charged. The hunter in the lead, startled, fumbled for the sword at his waist.

’BAM!’

He collided with the monster with his sword only halfway drawn. His balance shattered, his spine bending at an unnatural angle as a sickening ’thwack’ echoed through the air. The bald hunter behind him sneered.

“Hey, you’re scaring people. Stop messing around with a rank-2 boss.”

“S-Sir! This thing is…!”

’KLANG!’

The monster retrieved its twin blade and, in a blur of motion, hurled it at the bald hunter.

“Guh!”

The bald hunter threw his arms up in a desperate block. The blade’s tip stopped just short, having only lightly pierced his chest.

“Y-You scared me! For a rank-2 boss, this thing packs a…!”

’SPLAT!’

His body was crushed into the ground. Shocked, everyone turned to see a colossal arm of lava rising from the sea behind him.

“I-It’s a lava golem!”

’RRRUMBLE!’

The molten sea churned violently as house-sized lava golems began to emerge, surrounding our makeshift island in an instant.

“…Insane! They even took down a hunter!”

“What in the world is happening?!”

An Irregular in the center, a legion of giant monsters at our backs. We were completely trapped. The bald hunter, coughing up blood, tried to crawl away, but the Irregular was on him in a flash. He couldn’t dodge the blade and collapsed off the cliff’s edge, a spray of crimson marking his fall.

It all happened so fast. What followed was a symphony of slaughter. With even their saviors defeated, the players’ last shred of resistance vanished, and they broke into a mindless flight.

“Gah! H-Help me!” a middle-aged man on the ground pleaded.

Just as the boss raised its twin blade for the final blow—

’Thump!’

Seojin appeared like a phantom, catching the descending weapon with his bare hands.

“…B-Bare-handed?” someone whispered in disbelief.

In sheer strength, Seojin was its equal. The monster, realizing it faced a formidable opponent, tried to wrench its weapon free for another strike.

’CRASH!’

A potion flew from out of nowhere and exploded against the boss’s face. The creature staggered back, momentarily stunned.

“Yes! Direct hit!” Bora cheered, appearing with a potion in each hand. “I’d rather die than work with you, but since he ordered it, I guess I have no choice.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Seojin shot back.

While they bought me time, I rushed to the last remaining hunter. If he went down, our chances of survival would be zero.

“Hey!” I grabbed his shoulder and shook him, but his eyes were unfocused, glazed over with shock.

This was driving me crazy. How did a coward like this even pass the hunter exam?

“Hey! Snap out of it!”

There was no time for subtlety. I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the stone wall behind us. The impact made a loud ’thud’.

’Slap! Slap!’

I struck his cheeks hard a few times, and the dazed look in his eyes finally began to clear.

“Wh-Who…?”

* * *

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