Chapter 27 - Chapter 27

Kraaaagh!

The giant horse swung its whip-like tail, wrapping it around the dummy doll's body. A sickening crack rang out as if its bones had shattered, and the doll hunched over. Since it looked exactly like Lee Jungin, it was a pitiful sight. The now-useless item crumbled into dust, and in that instant, the monster lunged at Lee Jungin.

[The Skill has been activated.]

Khraaak!

The monster convulsed, its body twisting as it was electrocuted.

Unless it was a life-or-death situation, Yoon Seo only intended to help Lee Jungin using skills that were visible to others through his status window.

"Yoon Seo! Ugh—"

The enraged monster suddenly stomped the ground with its massive hooves. The earth trembled violently as if an earthquake had struck.

[ Durability 80/100]

Dodging the monster's tail swings and kicks, Yoon Seo restricted its movements with while making his way toward Lee Jungin. It was as if he could see through all of the monster's attacks, avoiding them with ease.

"Hunter Lee Jungin, are you alright?"

"I'm… thanks to you."

Lee Jungin's clothes and face were covered in dust, but he didn't appear to be injured. It was all thanks to Yoon Seo's shield.

"Yoon Seo, do you have combat experience? Your movements weren't ordinary—"

"I don't."

"But just now, you moved like—"

"It was a coincidence."

Brushing off the suspicion with a vague excuse, Yoon Seo checked the durability of Lee Jungin's shield, it had dropped to 20%.

"...."

Lee Jungin had already realized that Yoon Seo wasn't a rookie. In fact, he might even be more experienced than himself. But that wasn't the pressing issue right now.

"Yoon Seo, can you paralyze that thing for a full minute using your electric skill?"

"A whole minute is too much."

"What if I use an A-rank item that amplifies skill effects?"

"In that case, yes, about a minute. What are you planning?"

"I'm going to tame the monster."

['Lee Jungin' has used the 'Jester' Item.]

[Your skill effects are enhanced.]

For an S-rank like Yoon Seo, the boost was barely noticeable. But he deliberately widened his eyes in exaggerated surprise as if the effect had been incredible.

Lee Jungin, seeing his overly dramatic reaction, frowned in discomfort.

Kraaaak!

The massive monster charged at them, its four hooves pounding the ground, kicking up chunks of dirt with each step.

Yoon Seo swiftly distanced himself from Lee Jungin and activated . Electricity crackled through the air, making the monster's fur stand on end. Szzzt! With a sharp noise, the monster froze, its eyes rolling back. Yoon Seo was careful not to let the electricity burn through its internal organs. It had been so long since he last used in combat that controlling it wasn't easy.

['Lee Jungin' has activated the SkILL.]

[Skill has failed.]

['Lee Jungin' has activated the .]

[The monster follows Lee Jungin's command. Remaining time: 00:01:59]

"It worked!"

Lee Jungin shouted in excitement. Yoon Seo stopped using . The monster sat obediently in front of them.

"There's less than two minutes left. We have to finish it off within that time, but my whip can't even scratch its thick hide. Hong Euiyoon needs to hurry and take down another monster."

"Hunter Lee Jungin's item effect is strong enough that I should be able to do it."

Normally, wasn't known for having enough attack power to kill a B-rank monster, so Yoon Seo emphasized that it was all thanks to 'Jester' before using his skill again.

[The  Skill has been activated.]

Szzzzt! A blinding flash burst forth as if lightning had struck, followed by the acrid scent of burning. The monster collapsed sideways.

Kwaang!

Right on cue, Hong Euiyoon seemed to land the final blow on a new monster. A massive bird, its neck twisted backward, crashed to the ground with a loud thud. Hong Euiyoon landed near Lee Jungin and Yoon Seo, looking completely unscathed.

"What was that lightning just now? Yoon Seo, was that you?"

"Yoon Seo used …."

"That lightning bolt was ?"

Hong Euiyoon shouted in disbelief. Yoon Seo quickly spoke up.

"It was thanks to Hunter Lee Jungin's A-rank skill enhancement item."

"Even so, you're telling me had that much power? Do I look like an idiot to you?"

"Hunter Lee Jungin's item was exceptionally effective."

"Even an A-rank Hunter's can't call down lightning. is just an electric shock skill, nothing more."

"'Jester' is a truly powerful item."

Yoon Seo repeated himself multiple times, but even Lee Jungin, standing beside him, looked baffled. Clearly, the explanation wasn't working.

"Wait."

Fortunately, or unfortunately, something started stirring underground. Yoon Seo, of course, was the first to sense it. But among the others, Hong Euiyoon noticed it next. He glanced toward the healer to check if the shield was still intact.

"There's something beneath us."

"The third monster, I assume."

"Damn it, my is on cooldown for another hour."

"Hmph. I have no intention of asking for your help. Just stay put and watch."

"But—"

Lee Jungin tried to say something, but Yoon Seo stopped him with a nod.

[The  Skill has been activated.]

Instead, Yoon Seo reinforced the shield around Hong Euiyoon. Hong Euiyoon then blasted a fireball toward the trembling ground.

Kwaang! With a thunderous roar, a massive creature revealed part of its body. It was an enormous worm, even larger than the combined size of the horse monster and the bird monster. Tentacles burst from its carapace but were blocked by Hong Euiyoon's . Laughing loudly, Hong Euiyoon gathered flames at the tip of his spear and plunged it into the worm's shell. The ground trembled violently. The durability of rapidly depleted.

"Will he be okay on his own? Shouldn't we help?"

"If we get in the way, we'll only be a burden."

Hong Euiyoon would likely finish off the worm within ten minutes. Yoon Seo considered putting on a worried expression but decided against it. Unlike his concern for Hong Euiyoon, Lee Jungin kept glancing at Yoon Seo with suspicion.

'Did I make it too obvious…?'

Even Yoon Seo hadn't expected to be that powerful. He must have lost his sense of control after being out of combat for so long.

[Hwashim / Boss detected]

A system message flashed, consuming guild experience points. Yoon Seo flinched in surprise, and Lee Jungin explained.

"This must be your first dungeon, Yoon Seo, so it's probably your first time seeing the guild chat window. You can use the guild tab to send messages to all guild members inside the dungeon. Looks like Team 2 has found the boss way faster than expected. I thought it would take a few hours. Maybe they have some kind of monster-detection skill."

"This is a whole new world…."

If this kind of system had existed back in his day…. Yoon Seo had a feeling he'd be thinking this way a lot from now on.

Did La Bijina know how advanced dungeon systems had become? She must not find out. She was already mentally unstable, if she heard about this, the frustration and despair might push her into another act of self-harm.

Team 2 consisted of Hwashim, Namgung Simhae, Park Kang, and Park Soobin. But in terms of real combat power, only Namgung Simhae and Park Kang were reliable. Yoon Seo felt a little concerned.

They were smart enough to stay hidden instead of rushing in recklessly, but there was still a chance the boss could detect them first.

Lee Jungin seemed to have the same thought, furrowing his brows.

"They're quite far. Even if we leave now by car, it'll take at least twenty minutes. Looking at Kwon Jihan's location, he's close to Team 2. We'll have to trust him."

Kwon Jihan wouldn't help. That side suspected Hwashim might be Seo Chaeyoon, so they would wait for him to be pushed to his limits and reveal his true abilities. The only option was for Yoon Seo's group to get there quickly and assist.

'…Or help without going there.'

A good idea struck Yoon Seo, what if he never showed up at all during the boss fight? If he remained completely unseen until the dungeon was cleared, his presence would become nearly nonexistent.

"How far is Team 2's location?"

"About 30 kilometers away."

It just so happened that distance was within 'that skill's' range. Yoon Seo looked toward Hong Euiyoon.

It was time to end the battle.

Keeeek!

The massive worm spat a green venomous saliva at Hong Euiyoon. It was undoubtedly poisonous. Hong Euiyoon burned it away and charged forward. He tried to drive his spear into its mouth, but the worm's tentacles were faster, wrapping around his weapon.

"Ah, you son of a—"

Hong Euiyoon ignited the tentacles with a flame skill and broke free. The durability of his dropped to 28%.

Yoon Seo, who had been observing the battle, was momentarily dumbfounded. That arrogant hunter's situational awareness was surprisingly sharp. Hong Euiyoon clearly knew that Yoon Seo's was far stronger than a B-rank shield, so he was throwing himself into battle without hesitation.

'If he asks later, I'll just say it's the 'Jester' effect.'

"Yoon Seo, I think we should assist. We need to wrap this up quickly and get to Team 2—"

"Hunter Hong Euiyoon will finish this soon."

"What?"

"Look over there. His next attack is going to be quite powerful. He must have some kind of amplification skill or item."

At Yoon Seo's words, Lee Jungin turned to look at Hong Euiyoon's spear. The entire weapon was engulfed in flames. Hong Euiyoon had wrapped around his spear and was bombarding the worm with as he charged.

At the same time, Yoon Seo gathered his mana.

[The  Skill has been activated.]

[All monsters within a 40km radius are struck with overwhelming fear!]

[All monsters in the dungeon experience a significant drop in attack power and defense!]

was a unique skill capable of reducing even formidable boss monsters to mere minions.

Yoon Seo covered his mouth with his hand and smiled.

Kwaang!

A tremendous explosion erupted, sending shockwaves that engulfed the group.