Ch. 38 - Chapter 38

"Stand behind me."

In a normal situation, this is what a tanker is supposed to say to a healer.

But the current situation was the exact opposite.

No matter how strong the tanker is, they can’t withstand the monsters’ poison of a 4-star (★★★★) dungeon.

Yuk Cheolwan, looking embarrassed, stepped back behind me, and I drew Exa while keeping an eye on them.

[Purple Scorpion 

Type – Poison 

Difficulty Level: 3 star (★★★) 

Physical Level: ‘C’-rank

 Other: ‘B’-rank]

A brilliantly shining purple carapace.

Not only was it incredibly tough, but the venom at the tip of its tail was also extremely threatening.

Once it penetrates the body, even three or four healers rushing in can’t save the person.

The fact that there were about a dozen of them gathered around gave me a good idea of the difficulty of this dungeon.

“There are just too many of them. Maybe we should retreat for now…..”

Yuk Cheolwan's voice, filled with worry, could be heard from behind.

And indeed, on the floor, to the sides, and even above, Purple Scorpions were swarming everywhere in large numbers.

In a situation like this, passing through the cave without a single scratch was nearly impossible.

But what if I didn’t use my ‘body’?

Shiiing.

I infused Aether into the Exa held in my hand.

The black blade, which had been only the size of a finger, had now grown over a hand’s span.

A longer blade means an increased lethal range.

The more Aether you activate, the more powerful the weapon becomes.

‘First, let’s deal with the ones clinging to the ceiling……’

Just like when I fought the harpies, I adjusted my grip on Exa, aimed upward, and threw it forward with all my strength.

Shoo, shoo.

From the very front all the way to the unseen back.

Exa shot forward like an arrow for over ten meters, piercing through the bodies of every Purple Scorpion along its path.

“No…!!”

With Yuk Cheolwan’s horrified shout, the scorpions hanging from the ceiling came tumbling down.

But that only lasted for a moment.

Soon, urgency crept into Yuk Cheolwan’s voice.

“It’s dangerous!!”

Sha, sha, sha.

The remaining scorpions were closing in rapidly.

The cunning scorpions seemed to think we were defenseless now that the weapon was gone.

Do the ones with more stars (★) inherently possess intelligence?

At first glance, it seemed like a reasonable decision.

But in the end, their judgment proved to be a blunder.

Whoosh, whoosh.

Exa, which had pierced through the scorpions’ bodies, changed direction and came back toward me.

It seemed neither the scorpions nor Yuk Cheolwan had expected it to be something that could be remotely controlled.

“How?!”

I also didn’t really understand the principle behind it.

All I could do was praise Dr. Jin in my mind.

One thing was certain, Exa was moving freely according to my will.

Sometimes even changing its form.

After catching the returning Exa, I cut down the wandering scorpions one by one.

Slash.

It didn’t matter whether I struck the head or anywhere nearby.

Once a creature came into contact with Exa’s Black Aether, it met its death without even a chance to swing its tail.

“Ooh…!!”

Yuk Cheolwan’s exclamations of awe never seemed to stop as I cut down the scorpions.

At first, his voice was full of concern, but now it seemed as if he was genuinely enjoying the spectacle.

Using ‘Poison Steps’ to distract their gaze while cutting down everything around me looked surprisingly impressive.

I wondered if he were seated in the Colosseum VIP seat, he would probably have the exact expression.

With that thought, I slashed the tail of the last remaining scorpion.

Crunch.

“Phew.”

Out of breath, I slowly began to take deep breaths.

The scorpions hadn’t been very fast.

Still, moving around in such a confined space meant there were many things I had to be mindful of.

"Clan Leader, shall we start collecting?"

"Oh, of course!"

To catch my breath, Yuk Cheolwan and I each embarked on our respective ‘collecting’ activities.

In cave-type dungeons, especially in Poison Dungeons, you can acquire a considerable amount of unique materials.

Mystical Stalactite (魔乳石).

In the real world, it corresponds to ordinary stalactites, but since it’s a resource that’s hard to obtain, it’s often sold at a rather high price.

As the saying goes, ‘Those who have tasted meat know its flavor’, and Yuk Cheolwan was well aware of which materials held value in each type of Poison Dungeon.

He began cutting the brightly colored Mystical Stalactite with the saw-blade device he had brought.

‘Let’s get started on this one as well.’

Plop.

I flipped over the corpse of the Purple Scorpion and cut open its belly.

Its shell shimmered with a radiant purple, but its core was covered in a pitch-black color.

With around fifteen scorpion carcasses, this number of cores should enable near-immortal levels of recovery within the dungeon.

Around the time I had extracted about half of the cores, Yuk Cheolwan, whose bag had unknowingly become quite full, asked me.

"Um... Hunter Chun Haesun."

“Yes.”

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask you since last time... Why are you collecting that waste?"

Waste?

How could he not realize how precious these materials are?

I couldn’t help but chuckle, but I answered with a serious face.

“Even things that seem useless on the surface can be helpful to someone.”

“Helpful……”

Yuk Cheolwan furrowed his brows as if in thought, then soon replied with a look of admiration.

“Indeed…!! So you, Hunter, intend to precisely analyze the components of the Black Core…!! To unleash even more efficient healing abilities! For the Hunters, and for humanity itself!”

“…Yes, something like that.”

At this point, it sounded more like an interpretation of a dream than reality.

Still, since he was convincing himself, it was a relief on my end.

But then,

“Hunter! It’s dangerous!!”

Yuk Cheolwan suddenly lunged toward me.

Crash, bang, tumble.

Wait. 

What was wrong with this guy?

He was unbearably heavy.

“Clan Leader?”

“Ugh…”

A groan escaped from Yuk Cheolwan’s mouth.

His face beneath the gas mask had turned a bluish shade, and his eyes turned bloodshot in an instant.

Could this be…

‘Poisoning…!!’

But from where?

The scorpions should have already been wiped out.

I quickly got up and assessed the situation.

As I surveyed the surroundings, I couldn’t help but curse.

“Damn it.”

A Purple Scorpion was clinging to Yuk Cheolwan’s back.

With only half of its body remaining.

‘That’s the one whose tail I cut earlier…!’

Did it sever itself before the poison could spread?

They say once they’ve chosen their prey, they’ll chase it to the ends of hell, and true to the words, it was exactly like that.

Slash.

I quickly drew Exa and slashed the creature, forcing it off Yuk Cheolwan’s back.

At the same moment, Yuk Cheolwan collapsed to the floor as if he had been stripped of all strength.

‘If I don’t deal with this quickly, it’ll be dangerous.’

Shaaa.

I immediately reached out and activated my healing ability.

Yuk Cheolwan, who had been trembling uncontrollably, gradually began to recover.

Good thing it stung him with its jaws, if it had been the tail, it would’ve been really dangerous.

So crustacean-type monsters can shed off their tails like this.

It was a decision and tenacity that only a truly vicious creature could possess.

‘Well, I learned something new.’

Just because Exa’s blade touches something doesn’t mean it’ll die.

By using a move like tail-shedding, you can take damage but still avoid death.

It was a valuable lesson learned on the battlefield.

“Mmm…”

It seemed Yuk Cheolwan was slowly regaining consciousness.

Come to think of it, it was kind of ridiculous.

If I’d just been the one bitten, nothing would’ve happened.

He went out of his way to throw himself in front of me and ended up like this.

With a bitter smile on my lips, I patted Yuk Cheolwan’s cheek.

“Clan Leader. Get a hold of yourself.”

“Ugh… Hunter, danger… use me as a shield…”

Even in his dazed state, saying something like that, he was definitely a true tanker.

A few minutes later, Yuk Cheolwan returned to normal.

The marks from the scorpion’s bite still remained, but considering his rank, they would heal quickly.

"I owe you a favor once again, Hunter."

“The same goes for me. It’s only natural for a healer to heal.”

Just as you threw yourself to save me.

I decided not to say that last part out loud.

Even now, he still wore the face of a devout believer, and I didn’t want to turn him into a full-blown fanatic.

"But."

"Yes...?"

“From now on, don’t take bites for me or anything like that. At least in the Poison Dungeon…”

I drew a clear line toward the devout follower who was blinking and listening intently.

"I am the king."

***

On the way, we encountered two monsters.

A 2-star beast resembling a mole, and a brutish-looking Gray Bear.

"Leave this one to me!"

Maybe it was because he spotted a seemingly strong one.

After seeing the Gray Bear, Yuk Cheolwan volunteered to join the fight.

Well, that guy wasn’t particularly poisonous, so it wasn’t much of a problem.

Thump, thump.

Tankers aren't attack-oriented knights like attackers or assassins.

Because of that, most tankers are clumsy with offensive skills.

Like my past self, swinging Exa with awkward movements.

Thump, thump.

“Uooooo!”

Yet that very trait ends up instilling fear in opponents.

Look at him swinging those swollen arms wildly.

The Gray Bear, which had appeared so boldly, soon got relentlessly beaten by Yuk Cheolwan.

Smack, smack.

-Krewng!

Watching it take hits like a punching bag almost stirred a sense of pity in me.

Following the poisonous scent wafting from within, and the fragrance of rare herbs, we walked for a couple of hours.

At last, we reached a space that seemed to be the boss’s lair.

“A dungeon is truly a dungeon…”

Yuk Cheolwan looked around, speaking with a sense of wonder.

As he said, the layout of this place exceeded common sense.

After passing through a narrow cave that seemed endless, we entered a large hall, wide open on all sides.

It was easily large enough to fit an entire soccer stadium.

If the boss monster’s lair was this big, wouldn’t its body be enormous as well?

-Kkuwang!

“Hm?”

Suddenly, Brie, who had been quiet, made an appearance.

Hey, I told you not to show up when people are around.

“Oh no!!”

See? You scared him.

“Hunter Chun Haesun! Watch out! The boss monster somehow got onto your shoulder…!!”

“…Huh?”

Brie is the boss monster in his eyes?

It seemed like there was a huge misunderstanding.

Yuk Cheolwan approached as if he were about to grab Brie in one swift motion.

“Ah. Not this one.”

"Huh?"

“You see… um… this is my pet.”

He was probably wondering what nonsense I was spouting.

But I didn’t want to go into further explanation.

Just let it be.

“Where did this pet suddenly come from…..”

Yuk Cheolwan clearly looked curious, but didn’t ask any further.

"You rascal. Why are you acting so wild all of a sudden?"

-Kkuwang!!

There are usually two reasons why Brie causes a commotion.

One is when he smells the familiar scent of a dungeon.

The other is when there’s an invisible creature nearby, like when we encountered Bisu.

…Wait a minute.

“Could it be?”

“W-what happened, Hunter?”

As I wore a serious expression, Yuk Cheolwan looked visibly tense.

“I think the boss monster is already here.”

"Huh??"

Just because we couldn't see it didn’t mean it was not there.

There was definitely something in the direction Brie was growling at.

A sharp energy, like a keen dagger, shot toward us.

I kicked Yuk Cheolwan out of the way and used ‘Poison Steps' to leap into the air.

Screech—

A jarring sound of metal striking the ground echoed.

Its claws were so hard that sparks flew off the ground.

“That thing…!!”

Wings covered in a dull, ashen gray.

Claws that looked as solid as steel, and a disgustingly grotesque face.

A creature commonly regarded as a ‘Symbol of Plague’ flapped its wings and rose again.

A bat.

It was definitely a bat.

The reason this space felt unnecessarily (?) large was not only because of its large size, but also because it was a flying type monster.

“…What a nuisance.”

A tricky flying type with exceptional combat abilities.

Not only was it a Poison type, but it also had the ‘Stealth’ skill.

There was more than one thing to worry about.

A massive bat guarding the 4-star (★★★★) Poison Dungeon.

The Arcanus Bat had revealed itself.

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