Chapter 217: Episode 217

[S-rank Named Keeper Tyrant Kumakuma has cast Frenzied Leap.]

[Kumakuma’s jumping ability increases for a set period.]

Kumakuma, shrouded in Tyrant’s Advent, began to hop and skip around, throwing their formation into pure chaos. A single Keeper was enough to send the raid party into a panic. Taehyun looked at the fallen Priests in the rear with satisfaction.

“Don’t kill them at once. Inflict as much pain as possible to make it impossible for them to cast skills!”

Even now, in the final room with the crystal core, the shadows were busy inflicting damage. Some of the Priests were already incapacitated. By inflicting slow, agonizing pain instead of a quick death, he had effectively removed them from the fight. As a result, heals and buffs became scarce. The raid party would have no choice but to make a decision.

’‘Whether you abandon them after the battle or keep dragging them along is up to you.’’

Slowly, the Basilisks and Hellhounds were dying off. Bigdream’s mana was also about halfway depleted. It was time to summon the main forces in preparation for the next battle. Taehyun watched Kumakuma charge at Hiklu and waited for his chance.

[S-rank Named Keeper Tyrant Kumakuma has cast Snatch.]

[Successfully snatched Scout Hiklu.]

“Finally caught you. Kuma!”

“Ughhh! Let go of me, you stupid teddy bear!”

The teddy bear had finally succeeded in its… capture. Taehyun quickly gave an order to Raviz.

“Now! Summon them all!”

“Understood.”

Raviz, who was on standby, cast Mass Summon. All the main forces in the first room were instantly moved to the fourth room. As a result, Hiklu, who had been caught by Kumakuma, was summoned along with them.

“Hehe. You and I are going to have some fun. Kuma!”

“Keep your hands to yourself! And where is this place!”

Snatch, which temporarily restrained a target, also treated its captive as a target for other skills. With this, he had captured one of the four people Seunghoon had mentioned. Hiklu, caught by Kumakuma, could be used as a hostage. Taehyun quickly put shackles on her, preemptively blocking any chance of using a Rescue a Comrade Coin.

—

Day 6. The raid party hastened their pace, a stark contrast to the previous day. They must have grown wary of Raviz’s summoning skill. It was understandable that they would be annoyed after losing their main targets repeatedly.

“They seem to have a lot of debuff removal skills,” Riel observed. “They remove things like Breath of Death or status effects as soon as they’re hit.”

“With only the Effect Conversion Card left, they have no other choice. Still, I didn’t expect them to have so many debuff removal skills.”

Even with fourteen Priests abandoned, they still had plenty of debuff removal skills. There were currently forty-two raiders left, most of whom were A-rank top-tier.

[The Yuda Raid Party has entered the 19th room.]

[Bounty Hunter Legron has disarmed the Skill Block Trap.]

The surviving Bounty Hunters were the next target. They had been relentlessly disarming the traps Hyena set, so he couldn’t let them live any longer. Minimize damage. Maximize efficiency. Gradually wear down the raid party. As long as Raviz had mana, he would not stop.

[A-rank Hero Soldier Lich Bigdream’s special ability ‘Black Mist’ has been activated.]

[Black Mist envelops Balak’s soldiers.]

[The activation of Black Mist will be canceled if all mana is depleted or if Bigdream is damaged.]

Black Mist was cast again. The soldiers pre-positioned in the room blocked the path and began to move as instructed.

[A-rank Top-Tier Raider Hendy has cast the special ability ‘Mass Explosion’.]

[All soldiers are enchanted with the explosion ability.]

Following that, Mass Explosion was also enchanted. The two Doom Skeletons systematically led the undead soldiers, increasing their ranged firepower.

“Dammit! They just keep pouring out!”

“Damn! Did that Lich recharge its mana? The Black Mist that was gone for a while is back again!”

“Everyone, fall back a bit! The Hellhounds are coming!”

The situation was identical to before. But this time was different. The Great Elf was now accompanying Lich Bigdream. Mederia took out her newly acquired ancient bow and cast her special ability.

[Special ability ‘Pesilin’s Advent’ has been activated.]

[The Elf King Pesilin descends for a set period.]

[Pesilin’s Advent usage limit: 1/1]

The Elf King appeared from among the slowly materializing elves. Pesilin cast his skills with a gentle smile.

[Pesilin has cast Festival of the Elves.]

[The skill efficiency of elf-type races is doubled.]

[Pesilin has cast Blessing of the Elf King.]

[All stats of elf-type races are doubled for a set period.]

The elves, their abilities amplified, began to unleash tremendous firepower from within the Black Mist.

“Ugh! They got stronger!”

“Barrier! Cast more barriers!”

“Cranus, take care of the Nightmares in the forest first!”

The durability of the shield bearers’ shields plummeted. Some mages stepped up to try to take out the soldiers in the forest, but even that was hindered by traps.

[Electric Current Trap has been activated.]

[Explosion Trap has been activated.]

[Hit by a Magic Bullet.]

When Mederia’s magic bullets began to explode everywhere, the formation was once again on the verge of collapse.

[A-rank Top-Tier Raider Persimora has cast Falling Starlight.]

Eventually, one of the raiders used a single-use skill, and the charging soldiers began to be cleared out.

[Hellhound has died.]

[Basilisk has sustained a critical injury.]

[Gargoyle has died.]

Countless starlights rained down from the sky. For the soldiers who had left the Black Mist, it was a power they simply couldn’t withstand. Taehyun watched the situation being brought under control and gave an order to Raviz.

“Raviz.”

“Understood.”

It was a summon skill that needed no explanation. Raviz instantly moved the main forces to the 23rd room.

“Agh! We missed them again!”

“With Hiklu captured, we can’t even get a clear view. This is bad. Really bad.”

“The damage was significant this time, too. Let’s make camp first.”

The raid party finished clearing the remaining soldiers and began to set up camp. As managing their stamina and fatigue grew more difficult, they were forced to camp more frequently. Of course, Taehyun had no intention of just watching.

“You think I’ll let you rest comfortably?”

[B-rank Dungeon Master unique skill ‘Breath of Death’ has been cast.]

[Drains the raiders’ health for a set period.]

[Accumulates fatigue in the raiders for a set period.]

Soon, Breath of Death was cast again. The raiders, busy preparing camp, shouted in frustration.

“You son of a bitch Dungeon Master! I’m going to kill you for sure!”

“Dispel the debuff now! We’re going to collapse at this rate!”

“I’m going crazy! This is insane!”

This was the third time he had cast Breath of Death. They had no choice but to use a debuff removal skill.

[A-rank Top-Tier Raider Hiyasis has cast Cleared Mind.]

[All debuffs are removed.]

[Cleared Mind usage limit: 1/1]

Their few remaining single-use skills were nearly depleted. Their stress levels were also rising due to impatience and anger. Taehyun looked at the seething Yuda with satisfaction.

“They’re certainly strong, but they’ll pay a steep price for underestimating me.”

“Master Taehyun, you’re so…”

“So cruel?”

“You’re so wonderful! I knew my faith in you was not misplaced.” Riel, who was beside him, had tears in her eyes. She was so moved that she couldn’t even lift her head.

Taehyun was at a loss for words. Like Mederia, she had already met the conditions for conquest. A careless response could lead to big trouble.

“…Anyway, where did that Kumakuma guy go?” Taehyun changed the subject and looked for Kumakuma. Just then, he spotted him on the lower screen.

“Hehe. You will live here with me forever. Kuma!”

“Ugh! Get away! Get away from me! I told you not to lick me!”

Hiklu was in shackles, and the teddy bear was staring at her with a lecherous gaze. From her half-disrobed state, he could guess the situation. Taehyun watched Kumakuma stick out his large tongue and then turned off the screen.

’‘But does that thing even have… the right parts for that?’’

Of course, the question that belatedly came to mind did not disappear.

—

Day seven. Balak’s position grew more relaxed, while the raid party’s became more strained. They might have picked up the pace to be mindful of the summon skill, but that was their mistake. The Yuda Raid Party was already acting passively, trying to save their few remaining single-use skills. However, that situation was about to end.

“Master. I don’t have enough mana.”

“Master. I have used all my mana. I won’t be able to cast Black Mist for a while.”

Raviz’s and Bigdream’s mana pools were not infinite. It was only natural that their mana would eventually run out.

[The Yuda Raid Party has entered the 30th room.]

Meanwhile, seeing that the main forces were gone, the raid party was quickly breaking through each room.

“At this rate, they’ll break through to the 40th room in a single day,” Riel noted.

“It’s about time we settled this. We still have Eclat, after all.”

Taehyun turned his head. Eclat, who had been happily eating cake, flinched the moment their eyes met.

“M-me?”

“Yes, you. It’s time to work.”

“Sob.”

She looked at the raid party on the screen with a tearful face.

—

Day eight.

[Entered the 40th room of Balak.]

Finally, the inside of the 40th room was visible. They had reached this place through great hardship, sacrificing many comrades along the way. They had already recovered their stamina and fatigue by camping in the previous room. The dungeon raid was finally reaching its climax. Yuda looked at the soldiers directly in front of him and scowled.

“So you were all gathered here. And Hiklu, too.”

He could see Hiklu held captive in Kumakuma’s arms. She was in shackles and struggling to get free.

“Ugh! Let go! Let go of me, you perverted teddy bear!”

“It’s no use. Kuma. You are completely mine now. You will be with me forever. Kuma.”

“Aaaargh! That’s so creepy! Please stop saying things like that!”

“Kumakuma!”

A comrade of many years was being held hostage. A rash approach was impossible. Bency signaled to the only Bounty Hunter they had managed to protect.

[Trap Detection has been activated.]

[Installation Detection has been activated.]

Soon, the traps and installations inside the room were revealed. Trapper’s traps were laid out everywhere, and there were even advanced mana turrets positioned behind the soldiers. Breaking through would not be easy.

“For now, let’s just watch the situation—”

“I’ll kill them all.”

“Y-Yuda! Stop! What are you doing!”

“I’ve endured watching my comrades die up until now. But I can’t take it anymore. If I lose Hiklu too, I might just go crazy.”

Fragarach pulsed with fury. Like Bency, he still had one single-use skill left. Yuda’s playful demeanor vanished. He raised his sword, his eyes like ice. At that moment, Kumakuma stepped forward.

“This is the Master’s order. Kuma. If you want to save your comrade, you’d better stay still. Kuma!”

Yuda fell silent.

“Yuda, you idiot! What are you hesitating for? You knew this would happen when I was caught. Just do whatever you want!”

Their gazes met. Yuda bit his lip and canceled the skill. At that moment, arrows flew from the bushes on both sides.

’Ting!’

’Thwack!’

“Mine was blocked, sister.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re so great!”

It was Antelos’s guardians, the twin elves. They dropped the stealth they had been maintaining and revealed themselves. Yuda looked at the arrow lodged in his ribs and frowned. It was at least a moderate injury.

“Ugh.”

“Yuda!”

“Dammit! Get Yuda to the back! Everyone, engage!”

The few remaining Priests urgently began to heal Yuda. Bency watched Kumakuma retreat and cast a skill. And so, the final battle of the Yuda Raid Party began.

—

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