Chapter 13 - Transcendent Talent (3)
'Was the firepower too strong?'
The mysterious power contained within the artifact called Genocide.
The superior weapon engineering of the planet Eos.
Even bullets made entirely from the bones of monsters with upgrade skills.
It was too much for it to handle a Level 3 monster.
Of course, there was also the element of surprise because people didn't have high expectations for Hyeon Su-ho, the marksman.
After all, the other party members also had the skill to take down a Level 3 beast monster with a single blow.
Kwon Hyuk-min reattached his greatsword to his back and said,
"If the rear support is strong, combat becomes easier. Do you have enough bullets?"
"Of course."
"Good. Let's keep it that way."
Hunters are evaluated and judged by their abilities.
When Hyeon Su-ho showed his skills, the others’ attitudes changed.
Having always worked as a porter, Hyeon Su-ho felt a strange sensation.
‘Not bad.’
From then on, the expedition proceeded swiftly without any hindrances.
Though Hyeon Su-ho received attention for his outstanding shooting skills, he excelled in other abilities during the rest of the expedition.
"Stop!"
Everyone halted and turned around at Hyeon Su-ho’s command.
"Do you see the tree at 3 o'clock? There's a monster hiding there."
"A monster?"
Everyone looked closely in the direction Hyeon Su-ho indicated.
Ga Geon-ho squinted his eyes, looking for a long time, and then glared at Hyeon Su-ho.
"Are you kidding? There’s nothing there."
Everyone was carefully searching their surroundings as they walked. The huge tree Hyeon Su-ho pointed to stretched skyward with no apparent place to hide.
If it were hiding behind the tree, they might understand, but that wasn’t the case.
However, Hyeon Su-ho didn’t back down from his opinion.
"Everyone, prepare yourselves."
With those words, Hyeon Su-ho didn’t hesitate to fire his gun.
Bang!
The bullet flew straight towards the tree.
The tree was so large that missing it would be difficult.
Being an excellent marksman, Hyeon Su-ho naturally hit the tree, but something was off.
"Kiiieeek!"
Though he had hit the tree, blue blood splattered as something fell to the ground.
It was a monster that had camouflaged itself as tree bark.
Only then did the group understand Hyeon Su-ho's actions.
"Camouflage?! Damn it!"
Camouflage to protect itself or to hunt—blending its shape and color with its surroundings.
It’s a method used by chameleons or certain insects.
The creatures disguised as the tree were not alone.
When one fell, the others attached to the tree started flying toward them.
To their surprise, they weren’t chameleons or bugs but bat-shaped monsters.
As the creatures flew towards them in a black mass, the group hurriedly responded.
"Explain before you shoot next time!"
"They were going to attack soon anyway!"
Fortunately, the bat monsters, despite their excellent camouflage ability, had poor combat strength.
Each member used their own skills to counter the attacking bats.
In such situations, magic was the most useful.
Kim Jang-won quickly cast a spell.
"Fireball!"
Boom!
The fireball hit the clustered bats, causing a significant impact.
The initial explosion knocked them back, and the ones that caught fire flapped their wings desperately before turning to ash.
No wonder Ga Geon-ho envied the magician's profession.
Even as a long-time Level 4, magicians were the most valuable asset in a party hunt.
Once the bats dispersed, the rest was easy.
Each member used their skills to take down the bats.
"Power Swing!"
"Sura Slash!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bats were quickly dealt with.
Ga Geon-ho crushed the last bat underfoot and wiped his forehead with his forearm.
"They’re nothing without their camouflage."
If spotted beforehand, they were easy to take down. However, Kwon Hyuk-min had a different opinion.
"These things' claws are toxic. If we hadn't noticed them, we would have suffered considerable damage. The four-star difficulty isn’t for nothing."
Kwon Hyuk-min looked at Hyeon Su-ho.
"How did you notice? Even the talkative rogue couldn't spot them."
Ga Geon-ho defensively replied,
"I'm focused on offense! Scouting isn't my specialty."
Hyeon Su-ho nonchalantly said,
"I have a good sense for these things."
At this, Nova interjected.
[From now on, call me 'Sense.']
‘Sorry, but I can’t reveal your true nature.’
Hyeon Su-ho had identified the monsters thanks to Nova's abilities.
No matter how well they camouflaged, there would always be slight differences in the surrounding landscape.
Naturally, Hyeon Su-ho's vision and Nova's vision were different.
Nova analyzed and interpreted light particles bouncing off objects in real-time.
Not just visible light, but also infrared and ultraviolet, encompassing all electromagnetic waves.
Nova could detect not only imperceptible colors but also rapidly moving objects, substances, waves, and particles at a photon level.
No matter how perfect the camouflage, it couldn’t escape Nova's sight.
Moreover, Nova could analyze subtle scents to precisely locate the enemy.
Nova's monster detection ability surpassed most hunter skills.
[Hehe! No one can fool me.]
Even the usually silent Kim Jang-won couldn’t hide his admiration.
"You’re a versatile guy."
"Not really. Without the magician's spell, we’d have been in trouble."
"That’s just a magician’s duty. Why does a talented guy like you work alone? Guilds should be fighting over you."
"I had my reasons."
It was impossible to explain that he had only been a hunter for a few days, so he made an excuse.
Fortunately, they didn't press further.
The others, too, had their reasons for being solo.
Kwon Hyuk-min scanned the surroundings before asking So Ji-hoon.
"Seems like we've come quite deep, but I don't see your friends. Should we go further?"
No matter how important the reward is, it's not worth risking their lives. The experienced Kwon Hyuk-min was starting to consider retreating.
But So Ji-hoon urgently spoke up. "Just a bit further. We'll find traces of them soon."
"Hmm!"
Kwon Hyuk-min pondered for a moment, looking around at the others, before his gaze settled on Hyeon Su-ho.
"…Our team's skills are better than I thought. Let's go a bit further."
So Ji-hoon sighed in relief and suddenly became enthusiastic. "We'll find my teammates soon. Just a bit further."
At that moment, Hyeon Su-ho was receiving a report from Nova.
[Considering the size of the dungeon from the outside, we should be almost at the end.]
‘Already? Did we really walk that much?’
Nova’s calculations were based on the dungeon's area viewed from a satellite and the distance they had covered so far. Contrary to their initial plan to just rescue and return, they were now almost at the end of the dungeon.
‘Should I be relieved?’
Unlike the others, Hyeon Su-ho's objective was the body of the boss monster. If the others had decided to turn back, he would have continued alone.
Given the team's impressive skills, it was better to stay together.
‘Shouldn’t the boss monster appear around now, if there is one?’
Just as he thought that, a giant monster began to appear through the dense foliage.
The monster was so conspicuous that Nova’s assistance wasn't even needed.
Kwon Hyuk-min spread his palm out and shouted a command.
"Stop!"
Even before Kwon Hyuk-min shouted, the team had already halted. They had seen the enormous monster, as big as a house.
Ga Geon-ho put on and took off his goggles, observing the creature for a long time.
"A snake? A dragon?"
It was a massive snake monster with scales shining in the sunlight. Roughly estimating, it looked about 20 meters long.
As big as a tall building.
[Precisely 22 meters.]
The enormous size was intimidating, but what drew more attention was its head.
Or rather, the number of heads.
"One, two, three… There are nine heads."
A giant creature with a single body and nine heads.
Its fearsome appearance made Kwon Hyuk-min's voice tremble slightly.
"It's the boss monster."
Nova's analysis had been correct. There was indeed a boss monster in this dungeon.
Ga Geon-ho shouted energetically.
"That’s the boss monster for a level 3 dungeon? It's giving me chills; it doesn't seem like just a big bluff."
Even though they didn’t have Nova's ability, these were seasoned hunters. They could tell with their whole body that this giant snake monster was no mere oversized creature.
Then, the previously silent So Ji-hoon spoke.
"But it's not moving at all. Could it be dead?"
Ga Geon-ho frowned and replied.
"What? How could that be? Its skin looks healthier than my face. It must be sleeping."
Kwon Hyuk-min seemed to realize something.
"Now that I think about it, I forgot about the quest's objective."
At his words, everyone recalled the quest objective they saw when entering the dungeon.
"It was… to complete the seal, wasn't it?"
"Right! The quest name was 'Nine Seals,' just like the number of snake heads."
"What? So it's sealed?"
If it were a boss monster, it should have noticed them by now. If it wasn't reacting despite their noise, it made sense to think it was sealed.
Then So Ji-hoon spoke up.
"My teammates must be there. They might be in the middle of sealing it."
This wasn't based on any evidence, just wishful thinking. But Kwon Hyuk-min habitually stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"We might be able to complete the quest even if we don't find them."
Talking about just rescuing and escaping was only when they couldn't complete the quest. With a clear goal and reward in sight, no hunter could simply turn back.
Not only Hyeon Su-ho, whose main goal was the boss monster, but the others also seemed to agree. Especially Ga Geon-ho, who rubbed his hands eagerly.
"If we're going to move, let's do it before the seal breaks."
As soon as permission was given, So Ji-hoon rushed forward.
"I'll go first!"
Although they didn't know the exact state of the boss monster, he was worried about his teammates.
Even though he was the lowest level among them, no one stopped him. If the boss monster woke up, they could use So Ji-hoon as bait to escape.
Hyeon Su-ho gripped Genocide tightly, preparing for any situation.
Fortunately, the giant snake didn’t awaken even as So Ji-hoon climbed up its body.
Only then did the others move slowly.
The giant snake’s appearance became clearer.
"Is this the seal?"
There was a peculiar pattern in the middle of the body where the nine heads met. A living magic circle, moving as if it were alive.
It seemed this was indeed the seal mentioned in the quest.
But the giant snake wasn’t alone.
In five of the nine mouths, there were people.
"Are those… the ones we’re supposed to rescue?"
They had come to rescue these people, but it was too late.
The people, tightly held in the snake's jaws, were almost unrecognizable corpses. Some were charred white, others were completely frozen, and others were melted by powerful acid.
Each of the nine snake heads seemed to possess a different elemental attack.
"Were they sealing it but failed?"
It seemed the five had fought to seal the giant snake but couldn't complete the magic circle and died.
Otherwise, it was hard to explain why the boss monster was lying there so motionlessly.
But then, So Ji-hoon, standing atop the giant snake, said something unexpected.
"No, that's not it."
Everyone felt a chilling sense of unease.
Just a moment ago, So Ji-hoon had sounded naive and a bit foolish.
But now, his voice was cold and icy.
When they looked at him, his eyes were as sly as a snake’s.
"I thought five would be enough. But there are nine heads."
So Ji-hoon chuckled, pointing at each member of the team with his finger.
Exactly four people.
Then he swung his sword…
Slash!
…cutting into the seal on the chest.
Instantly, the nine heads rose up towards the sky simultaneously.
[KEEEEEE!!!]
