Chapter 61: Déjà Vu (5)
Humans and monsters have different concepts of levels.
Hunters must acquire divine power to reach level 8.
For humans, made of flesh and bone, a power beyond mana is necessary to surpass their limits.
But monsters are a bit different.
There are species that grow stronger just by breathing.
Some can overwhelm mana-wielding humans with sheer physical strength, without any mana at all, thanks to their powerful DNA.
For example, a massive creature like the Kraken can wield the power of level 8 simply by reaching maturity, even without divine power.
The same applies to true dragons, and of course, dragons in general.
In other words, their innate species traits are fundamentally different from the start.
But this monster, Aphos, was different.
Though its appearance was grotesque, it exuded a powerful divine energy.
"What on earth is this?"
When I expanded my sensory perception, I finally felt the presence of the monster called Aphos.
Rumble!!
The first impression was "filthy."
Not in the literal sense of being unclean.
It was a sense of defilement, contamination, disease—an amalgamation of all things impure.
Or perhaps something close to the source of it all.
An abhorrent energy that would instinctively repel any living being.
"A god of impurity?"
Not just any god, but an evil god.
From that being, only a Malicious intent to defile everything was felt.
It was certainly not of this world.
It was a being from beyond the universe, from a reality that transcends the cosmos, from the absolute abyss.
It was similar to the monsters from the world of the Phantom before, but the underlying energy was far more malicious.
The only consolation was that the power it exerted seemed less than that.
Of course, even so, it was undeniably a level 9 cataclysmic monster.
"Why is such a being in Korea... and near Seoul at that?"
Though its level was the same as the Elder Lich or Demon Kraken I had hunted before, the sense of danger was much greater.
The biggest problem was the powerful monsters it kept creating.
Only Hyun Suho could take them down. These were formidable creatures that no other hunters, let alone ordinary people, could handle.
Even Hyun Suho could be at risk if they surrounded him in large numbers.
He couldn’t act recklessly.
While Hyun Suho and the Cheonrima Guild members quietly observed the scene, they noticed something unusual.
Jo Seung-joo approached and pointed to a corner.
"Do you see that? The creature is reabsorbing the monsters it created."
As he said, some of the monsters being created weren’t making it out; they were being sucked back into the writhing liquid and dissolving.
They seemed like strong demon-types, but despite their struggle to escape, it was futile.
It was like ants being devoured by an antlion.
"Failed experiments... something like that?"
Speculation was easy, but instinctively, I knew.
This was a monster that defied human logic.
A concentration of Maliciousness that could neither be understood nor should be understood.
As I continued to survey the surroundings, I saw something unexpected.
"Over there! Tae-jin and Kyung-hun are there!"
"What? That’s... really them."
In one corner, there were humans hanging from long tentacles.
A total of ten people.
Among them were the Cheonrima Guild members we thought were dead and the masked man who had voluntarily jumped in earlier.
'Are they still alive?'
[The masked man is dead. His heart was pierced, and he didn't last long. But the others are still alive.]
Fortunately, the Cheonrima members were still alive. But given their injuries, they wouldn’t survive long without immediate treatment.
Perhaps realizing they were no longer "fresh" materials, the tentacle holding the masked man moved and dropped him to the ground.
Sizzle!!
The masked man's corpse melted away as if it had touched a powerful acid.
It soon began to writhe and transform into the shape of a monster.
"Damn it!"
If this place was truly a factory for producing monsters, then the materials were clear.
"They were all humans."
Aphos was dissolving humans to create monsters.
A quick glance around revealed multiple passages besides the one the group had come through.
It seemed there wasn’t just one entrance to this dungeon.
Masked individuals could be kidnapping people from all over Seoul, perhaps even from across the country, to feed this monster.
Jo Mina looked as if she was about to scream, then approached with a pitiful expression and asked,
"Is there any way we can save them?"
The expressions of the others were the same.
They desperately wanted to save their comrades, but they knew they couldn’t act recklessly.
That’s why they were asking Hyun Suho for help.
Hyun Suho also started to feel conflicted.
‘I can’t just stand by and watch.’
It didn’t seem like a time attack was triggered, but this was a quest with no other options from the start.
If time passed, the situation would only worsen, not improve.
But rushing into an attack isn’t an option.
‘Nova, how can we deal with that thing?’
[Are you planning to fight it?]
‘The quest is called "Seed of Destruction." It’s obvious that leaving it alone will lead to disaster.’
Just because we’re underground doesn’t mean we’re safe.
If that level 9 monster decided to, it could easily break through 2 kilometers of earth with sheer force.
In the worst case, Seoul could collapse.
Even though Korea has three high-rankers, it would take time for them to gather.
‘Is it possible to request support from the Hunter Guild?’
[You know that communication with the outside world is impossible inside a dungeon.]
‘Right.’
In other words, until we get out, we can’t inform anyone about this monster.
To escape, we need to defeat that creature and open a portal.
It’s a paradoxical situation.
Still, there was a silver lining.
‘No matter what, it’s a quest-related monster. There’s bound to be a way to defeat it.’
There’s no such thing as an impossible quest.
Since the system guarantees it, there must be a way to clear it.
‘Of course, the difficulty could be insanely high.’
Instead of wasting time being discouraged, it’s better to move and find a solution.
That’s what has driven Hyun Suho this far.
But even though Hyun Suho and Nova tried to find something special, they couldn’t sense anything.
He was beginning to think that fighting was the only option when Jo Mina suddenly approached him and spoke.
“Over there… I can feel a powerful life force.”
“Life? You’re saying it’s alive?”
“Yes. As a tamer, I can tell. Something special is about to be born over there.”
Jo Mina claimed to sense something that even Hyun Suho’s divine power couldn’t detect.
There was no reason for her to lie in this situation, so he looked in the direction she pointed.
But, just like the rest of the place, it was only covered in fluorescent slime.
Even Nova couldn’t detect anything special there.
Come to think of it, there was a slight bulge, but it could easily have just been uneven ground.
Hyun Suho asked uncertainly.
‘What do you think?’
[I can’t detect anything. But with Aphos’ immense power, it’s possible that it’s blocking my senses.]
‘Hmm!’
Since Nova couldn’t provide any special information, Hyun Suho asked Jo Mina again.
“Is whatever is being born there as terrifying as this monster, Aphos?”
Maybe another Aphos was about to be born.
It would fit with the quest’s name, "Seed of Destruction."
But unexpectedly, Jo Mina shook her head.
“No, it feels rather divine. What’s about to be born there is definitely a sacred beast.”
“A sacred beast? From this filthy monster? Is that even possible?”
“It’s not one of Aphos’ offspring like the other monsters. The sacred beast there is fighting against Aphos.”
“Fighting…? But how?”
At that moment, a faint light appeared in Jo Mina’s eyes.
It was as if she could see through Aphos to the sacred beast beyond.
“It’s resisting with all its might. It’s fighting against the defiling corruption, but it’s struggling. The advantage will soon shift to the monster’s side. We have to help.”
Jo Mina, as a tamer, could sense the power of the sacred beast.
If what she said was true, then this quest was indeed a time attack.
If Aphos devoured the sacred beast trying to be born, the problem would spiral out of control.
‘Maybe the reason Aphos hasn’t emerged to the surface yet is because it’s locked in a power struggle with the sacred beast?’
It was all just speculation.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much information to go on.
It was similar to the hidden epic quest with Akula.
But standing around cluelessly was not an option.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Hyun Suho spoke.
“You all heard what Jo Mina said, right? We need to reach that place and save the sacred beast from the encroaching corruption.”
This was the conclusion Hyun Suho came to.
However, it was a very tricky situation.
If the objective were just to destroy Aphos' core located somewhere in the vicinity, they could simply snipe it from a distance. But this was a rescue mission.
Using too much force could kill the trapped sacred beast instead of dealing with Aphos.
So, the best course of action was to get as close as possible and carefully remove Aphos from the sacred beast.
Park Cheol-min, the tanker, asked in a trembling voice, “So… you’re saying we should break through that area?”
The place was filled with monsters created by Aphos.
There were weaker creatures, but there were also many demon-types exceeding level 6.
Honestly, under the current circumstances, these weren’t even the main problem.
The biggest issue was Aphos itself.
To reach the center, they first needed to clear the blue fluorescent body of Aphos that covered the floor.
They had already witnessed how quickly it could dissolve the body of the masked man earlier.
Unexpectedly, Jo Seung-joo, the leader, spoke with a firm voice, “Our teammates’ lives are at stake. We’ll do whatever it takes.”
Two of his teammates were still dangling in mid-air.
While it wasn’t clear, they were probably being kept as emergency food.
They needed to move quickly if they were to save them.
Jo Seung-joo’s words sparked determination in the eyes of the other team members.
Confirming their resolve, Hyun Suho said, “I can probably clear the stuff below us. But…”
Using plasma, he could likely remove the obstacles as they advanced.
The problem was Aphos itself.
“I’m not sure if Aphos will just sit there and watch.”
Boss monsters come in several types.
The most troublesome type is the summoner.
These bosses summon minions while they stay behind, launching sneaky long-range attacks or casting spells.
The standard approach is to eliminate all the minions before tackling the boss, but some bosses keep replenishing their minions, frustrating hunters.
Aphos was clearly a summoner type.
However, in this case, they could only hope it was just a summoner.
If Aphos also launched direct attacks, there would be no chance of winning.
Of course, those tentacles scattered around wouldn’t just sit idly by either.
Fortunately, Jo Mina said, “Aphos must have exhausted a lot of power fighting the sacred beast. Now is our chance.”
“Really? How can you tell?”
Even Hyun Suho, who possessed a low level of divine power, hadn’t known this.
Jo Mina was still only level 5, even though she was S-rank, so how could she know?
It wasn’t about doubting her; it was just that this was such an important matter that he needed to be sure.
Jo Mina nodded and said, “That child just whispered it to me.”
“That child? You mean… the sacred beast?”
“Yes. The connection is faint, but I can feel its intent. This is my hunter skill.”
As a tamer, it was natural for her to be able to communicate with beast-types or sacred beasts.
If what she said was true, this wasn’t a crisis but an opportunity.
An opportunity to take down a level 9 Aphos.
It was pure luck that Jo Mina was here, making things easier.
‘Or is it really just luck?’
When he thought about it, the reason Hyun Suho ended up near Seoul, where he had never been before, was all because of a premonition.
It was a power he had used for the first time.
He still didn’t know the activation conditions or the cost.
But if such a premonition had activated, there must be a reason for it.
‘So that’s it. The key was Jo Mina.’
Aphos had likely been lurking underground in Seoul for a long time.
But perhaps this moment was the only time Hyun Suho could hunt it.
He couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity.
With a more relaxed voice, Hyun Suho said, “So, shall we go hunt an evil god?”
