ALL NOVEL Chapter 40
“W-What the hell is going on…?”
Screech!
Thud!
“Guh! Kgh…”
Thud!
With Henry’s successive attack, Lee Kyung-jae crumpled to the ground, convulsing helplessly.
The hit was to the nape of his neck, and of course, it was instant death.
And at last, their true identities began to reveal themselves.
“Just as I thought, a perfect hit. Hehe, I thought I was going to die laughing.”
It was Park Yong-cheol, who had initially clashed with Henry, now speaking with a nonchalant smile.
The meaning was extremely simple.
They’d known each other from the start.
Bang!
Bang!
Bam—!
[Hey, you bastards! Open the door! Open it right now!]
The Boss Room’s door could not be opened from the inside, no matter what.
Kwak Min-ji, filled with terror, pounded on the door until her arms nearly broke.
Bam—!
[Hey, open it now or else….]
[Kuwao!]
Then, at last, with the boss’s ominous presence, her voice faded. It seemed she was trying to escape using the assassin’s skill to get away from the door.
Without a hint of agitation, even the leader, Hong Yong-taek, joined in the conversation, urging Henry.
“Did you see? How was it?”
“It’s a Lizard Wolf. Especially strong even among C2 Rank monsters.”
“Oh dear, this is going to be a bit of a struggle. I hope she exhausts herself a little before she dies.”
Through the recently cast shared vision spell, the group was utilizing the trapped Kwak Min-ji as a disposable scout. Quite brutal and calculated.
It was now certain. These three were a team. And in a malicious sense.
Criminal grinning widely, Park Yong-cheol wore a meaningfully mischievous smile.
“…Only one left now.”
Their malicious gazes slowly began to turn towards me.
#
Hong Yong-taek’s involvement in illegal activities was quite recent.
Due to conflicts with party members, he found himself on the industry’s blacklist, struggling for an entire year without any proper income.
By chance, he met Park Yong-cheol and Henry, who were in a similar predicament, and formed a hunting party as human hunters.
‘This dungeon is going to be a jackpot.’
From the moment they encountered a group of Mycus Lizards at the dungeon’s entrance, a strange feeling set in.
Mycus Lizards were considered one of the most lucrative monsters in the C rank category.
As they multiplied into dozens while clearing the dungeon, Hong Yong-taek and his crew signaled each other without exception.
Swoosh.
It hinted at burying the rest of the party and taking all the loot for themselves.
‘With this kind of money, I could leave for another country and live it up right away.’
In truth, in a hastily formed party like this, if someone were to die, not many would care, but given the times, they couldn’t often indulge in such illegal activities.
Anything with a long tail gets stepped on.
However, this time was different. It was a chance for a windfall that could achieve their usual target amount in one go.
Thus, Hong Yong-taek and his group began analyzing their party members, creating various situations without hesitation.
The conclusion was as follows.
‘The most troublesome is that woman. An assassin type is a pain if we give her any opening.’
Upon closer inspection, she had a quite good stealth skill. If they failed to kill her in one go, she could very well begin hiding all around the dungeon, waiting for the rescue team while preying on their vulnerabilities.
So, to ensure they dealt with her adequately, they locked her in the Boss Room.
‘The fire mage is also bothersome. If she has the guts to crawl into a place like this, she probably has no back-up. She might even self-destruct if things go awry.’
They intentionally adjusted the formation and quickly killed Lee Kyung-jae with Henry’s shot.
Only one remained, the youngest member of the party and necromancer, Baek Eun-ha.
‘This kid doesn’t seem that much of a threat.’
While the undead she summoned was fairly strong, only summoning one at a time suggested her costs were approaching their limit.
Thinking there might be some hidden means, they pressured her during the battle to assess her contribution, but she showed no significant changes afterward.
She didn’t even participate in discussions with the group, merely tearing up when multiple people pressured her with words, exhibiting total lack of courage.
Her skills were literally at that level.
“Cough. You have no one to help you here, so what now? That’s why adults always warn you, you can’t just follow anyone.”
“Please don’t tease me so much. This will be a good lesson. At least in the next life.”
Amidst such mockery, Henry, who had been deep in thought, finally spoke up.
“Let’s capture her and sell her.”
“What?”
“I have a selling route I used last time. I have suitable skills and items to transport her.”
“Is that for real?”
“There will be a high demand. Combine it with the loot, and money won’t be a problem anymore.”
In short, Henry was suggesting they make a killing out of this opportunity and then disband the party.
As this was also an issue the rest of the group had been slowly contemplating, there was no hesitation. Everyone nodded eagerly.
“Hehe. How nice! I don’t know what’s waiting behind us, but at the very least, we won’t die here.”
Crunch.
Clatter.
Park Yong-cheol approached Baek Eun-ha, holding a fist the size of a pot lid.
Baek Eun-ha seemed completely paralyzed with fear, not even moving an inch.
From the group’s perspective, she was nothing but prey caught in a trap.
However, just then, the chilling voice that escaped Baek Eun-ha’s lips made the group feel an odd sense of unease.
“You’ll regret this.”
“Regret? What kind of regret, you little brat? Don’t you know no matter who you are here, it doesn’t matter? You couldn’t even mumble a word earlier because you were so scared, what do you think you can do?”
Park Yong-cheol dismissed her with mockery, but Hong Yong-taek sensing something ominous in his expression.
“Get back! Something’s off compared to earlier…”
But it was too late. As Park Yong-cheol’s fist swung down, the sound of flesh crumbling and horrendous screams echoed.
Screeeech!
Splat!
“Gyaaaah—!”
The ensuing scene was truly horrific. Park Yong-cheol’s arm, which had seemed ready to crush his opponent in an instant, seemed to rot away, shedding flesh in chunks.
“Fk! My arm! My arm!”
The horrifying scene that unfolded was Baek Eun-ha, who had raised her previously bowed head and continued with nonchalance.
“Such a ruckus for nothing.”
“Y-You bastard!”
Park Yong-cheol, losing his senses, activated his skills and charged at Baek Eun-ha.
Whoosh.
A considerable amount of mana gathered in his remaining left arm, and that fist swung straight towards Baek Eun-ha’s head.
However, Baek Eun-ha dodged it too leisurely. At the same time, she lightly touched near Park Yong-cheol’s heart and stepped back.
Whoosh.
Thud.
Squeak.
Splat.
“Extreme! Cough! Cough!”
With that, the fight was over. Park Yong-cheol, clutching his heart, collapsed on the spot, dying instantaneously. The incident with his right arm was likely reenacted internally.
Silence fell within the dungeon.
Despite appearances, Park Yong-cheol was a hunter considered upper-mid rank in the C rank, definitely not an easy opponent.
“…Strong. Take the front. Avoid physical contact.”
Click.
Rustle!
At Henry’s tense command, Hong Yong-taek nodded and activated his defense skill.
Whoosh.
“Steel Wall!”
In response, Hong Yong-taek’s entire body shone brightly, and Baek Eun-ha, as if waiting for this moment, began to chant her spell.
“Undead Call.”
Whoosh!
So it came to be that one red-boned skeleton summoned before, though strong, wasn’t a problem when there was only one.
In that moment of hesitation as they were about to charge, an unbelievable sight unfolded before them.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh—!
It was not one. A chilling gaze illuminated by four Skeleton Mashers now fixed on Hong Yong-taek.
Moreover,
“Undead Call.”
Whoosh!
[Krrr.]
[Krk.]
Two beast-type undead, never seen before, were summoned to guard Baek Eun-ha, blocking her sides.
Whoosh.
[Grh. Kikik.]
Lastly, a regular skeleton that had just been summoned knelt on the ground, and Baek Eun-ha casually crossed her legs over it and rested her chin on her palm.
“What’s taking you so long? Aren’t you coming to kill me?”
That indifferent gaze was nothing like someone who had been unable to respond to the pushback earlier.
Instead, there was a far more sinister energy swirling around than common killers like themselves.
Having been overwhelmed by the scene before them, Hong Yong-taek trembled as he heard Henry’s voice, equally steeped in despair.
“…Shit.”
The cool demeanor he once held was gone, and that panic-driven curse was as good as saying all their plans had gone awry.
Facing the two who were now frozen in shock, Baek Eun-ha began mumbling some unknown words while glancing at her fingers.
“Eight minutes left.”
“……”
As Hong Yong-taek and Henry fell silent, Baek Eun-ha wiggled a finger and stood up.
Simultaneously, the eerie sounds of the dead echoed ominously throughout the dungeon.
[Keeeek!]
[Kiaaaaaah!]
[Kyaaaah—!]
As the two flinched at the sounds, Baek Eun-ha quietly muttered.
“If you’re not coming, then I’ll just go myself.”