The last terrain was filled with not just traps but also numerous mobs. They came in various forms, all rated as A-rank. Lava, swamps, mountains, and caves brought their share of monsters, and statues scattered everywhere would, more often than not, transform into monsters. Scorpions, centipedes, lizards, bats, every small creature was rated A-rank, making it a place where any lapse in vigilance meant death.
Some creatures were so small they were nearly impossible to spot with the naked eye. These would lay eggs in living bodies to use them as food sources or burrow into their brains, taking over completely. In the former case, the host would die, but in the latter, the host's body would be controlled by the monster, attacking allies. Even if the host's limbs were severed or they sustained fatal injuries, they would keep moving, feeling no pain, thus, the only way to stop them was to sever the head. Among those who died like this was a holder of
At the time, every surviving Revenger was both a friend and family. They had spent unimaginable amounts of time together in that place, far beyond what outsiders could comprehend, making them all deeply precious to one another. To personally sever the heads of such comrades was a great agony.
But it wasn't just the battles that tormented them, hunger was another.
In the swamps and mountains, they could find weeds or fruits, but in the temple, there was nothing to eat except moss. Even then, the moss was poisonous, so they had to purify it before consuming it. To conserve the magical energy required for purification, they would only eat tiny amounts when on the verge of starvation.
While combat was the leading cause of death in the temple, starvation came in a close second. Of the survivors who braved the lava, swamps, and caves to reach the temple, 111 died of starvation.
Even low-tier awakeners could survive one or two days without food. Those ranked B or higher could endure a week. Yet, for so many to starve, they must have wandered for an unbearably long time.
What were the thoughts of those who entered the dungeon, risking their lives to protect Earth, only to die of hunger instead of in combat with monsters?
The situation grew increasingly dire.
Revenger endured, relying on the knowledge that this was the final terrain. That single truth kept them going day by day.
***
The temple terrain's boss monsters were three in number. A giant scorpion, a centipede, and a lizard appeared simultaneously, but the battle against the centipede consumed the most time.
Previous boss monsters had been difficult to locate, but once found, they could typically be defeated within a day or two in system terms. The centipede wasn't especially strong either. The problem was the lack of firepower on their side.
Dungeon bosses ranked C and above evolve after taking a certain amount of damage during a fight. C-rank bosses evolve once, B-rank twice, and A-rank and S-rank bosses three or more times. These stages are referred to as "phases."
With each phase, the boss recovers half of the damage it had sustained, changes its attack patterns, and drastically increases its offensive power. Sometimes, a monster using water attacks in phase one would switch to fire attacks in phase two, forcing hunters to adapt their strategies. Naturally, this extended the time required to defeat the bosses.
Revenger had previously managed to finish off boss monsters within two phases by overwhelming them with firepower before they could evolve.
However, unlike the sequential emergence of bosses in previous terrains, the temple presented three at once. The drastically reduced number of members also meant that each individual consumed more magical energy, and some hunters were left helpless, stuck in skill cooldowns, unable to contribute. Protecting these people while fighting rendered them little more than burdens. Not that anyone thought of them that way.
Yoon Seo didn't hold back on using his attack skills, convinced this was the final terrain and these were the last bosses. Finally, the giant centipede was defeated.
[You have entered the Dungeon. Current Terrain 4/4 | Number of Hunters: 71 | Time Until Explosion: 25 Hours]
Out of the 1,203 who entered, only 71 remained. Too many had died.
None of the survivors celebrated. They simply stared at the dungeon entry message, desperately hoping it would change to a clear-success message.
But what appeared before them wasn't a message of success.
Graaaaah!
A massive, terrifying roar echoed, and the surrounding terrain began to crumble. Many Revengers, unprepared for the sudden collapse, lost their lives. Those who barely escaped the collapsing underground found themselves staring at a colossal monster of unimaginable size.
A massive dragon with three heads and three tails appeared, its size dwarfing every monster they had encountered so far, to the point where only its lower body was barely visible.
Even a mere graze from its swinging fingers would leave no trace of a human body, and dodging was futile since the shockwaves from its movements crushed entire bodies. The force it generated was equivalent to tens of millions of tons, strong enough to crack Yoon Seo's shield.
Each of the three heads unleashed fire, ice, and lightning, respectively, and their immense range made evasion nearly impossible. Attacking from the rear wasn't any easier due to the massive tails. Its offensive power was beyond anything describable, but fortunately, its defense was relatively low. Even attacks from A-rank skills or higher could tear through its hide and expose its flesh. However, its high regeneration rate required relentless attacks without giving it time to heal.
Every time one of the heads was severed, the phase would change. If all three heads were cut off simultaneously, the monster could be killed without entering its final phase, but their firepower wasn't nearly sufficient for such a feat.
The Revengers, convinced by an unshakable instinct that this thirteenth beast was the final boss, risked their lives to attack. Yoon Seo was no exception. The healers poured their mana recovery skills into supporting Yoon Seo.
"Don't heal me. Use your healing skills on Seo Chaeyoon!"
"Spend your mana on Seo Chaeyoon. Seo Chaeyoon is our only hope."
"Save Seo Chaeyoon. I'll be fine!"
The Revengers gave up their own chances of survival and devoted their healing skills to Seo Chaeyoon. Even the healers, leaving the dying behind, focused their abilities solely on Seo Chaeyoon.
During the third phase, Yoon Seo finally fell into an abnormal state.
[Abnormal Status: Resistance to Healing
Remaining Time: 796,999 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]
That was the first time they realized such a status condition existed.
With his mana pushed to its absolute limits, Yoon Seo had to maximize his efficiency.
Among the remaining Revengers, Yoon Seo had the highest attack power. Lee Kangjin, who was once the strongest, was rendered powerless due to
His body, unable to recover due to the healing resistance, screamed in agony.
Yoon Seo, barely conscious, wielded Riceball, hearing desperate shouts from all around him.
"Chaeyoon, don't use shield skills, just attack!"
"Don't protect us. Use that mana to attack the boss!"
These cries, filled with determination, were spoken with all the strength they could muster in their dying moments.
You don't need to protect us. Just clear the dungeon.
We are willing to die for peace.
Yoon Seo didn't want to let them make such "noble sacrifices," but there was no other way. He heeded their final pleas. He deactivated the shields protecting them and funneled all his remaining mana into his attack skills.
Finally, the last head was severed, and the boss collapsed, lifeless. The boss monster's body disintegrated into dust and vanished.
Yoon Seo, having completely drained his mana, plummeted to the ground. Lee Kangjin caught him.
"It's all over…."
"We can leave now."
The surviving Revengers gathered around the two of them. Soon, the dungeon clear message would appear, and the exit portal would open.
Even in his fading consciousness, Yoon Seo thought, 'Why does it sound like there are so few voices left?'
He barely managed to lift his head and looked around.
Including Yoon Seo and Lee Kangjin, only five survivors remained.
Yoon Seo raised his upper body slightly while still in Lee Kangjin's arms. The air was thick with the stench of blood, and everything he saw was covered with corpses.
Only five people were alive.
Earth was safe now.
The five survivors here would leave the dungeon alive, receive treatment in a clean place, and become heroes of humanity. Then, they would continue living, fighting monsters to protect humanity once again.
'What's the point of all this?'
Yoon Seo felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness. Sacrifice, death, and life, all of it seemed utterly meaningless.
It was at that moment.
[The Gaia System's hidden secret has appeared. The
[
Instead of the dungeon clear message, what appeared before his eyes was a sentence announcing the emergence of yet another dungeon, a sentence of despair.
***
Waking up from severe headaches, Yoon Seo gave up on his morning stretches and instead groaned in bed. Maybe it was because he had seen the "Chosen One" after such a long time. Ever since he accessed Kwon Jihan's system profile, his head had been pounding, and it eventually led to dreaming about the Great Dungeon. With trembling hands, Yoon Seo opened the bottle of painkillers he always kept at his bedside and swallowed a handful of pills.
A few minutes later, once the medicine took effect, the headache subsided. Although he didn't want to eat anything, not breakfast or anything else, he forced himself to get up.
While eating, he absentmindedly picked up his phone and noticed that the Guild of Leaves' group chat was buzzing. Seeing over 300 messages piled up, Yoon Seo opened the chat and began reading slowly from the beginning.
The first message was a news article link announcing that Seokyoung had officially formed an elite raid team composed of only the strongest members.