101.
The path to where Cerberus was located was not easy either.
“Kiaaack…!”
As the humans began to move, the monsters flying in the sky also changed their attack method.
“Why are they just staying still?”
Hyunsu, who had been moving his feet diligently, noticed something strange while glancing at the sky. Jian also tilted his head back to look at the sky.
The monsters that had stopped in place folded their wings in unison. Normally, birds would fall immediately, but they remained suspended in the air, defying gravity.
The eyes of the creatures, whose beaks were pointing downward as they remained motionless, suddenly glowed red, followed by the sound of air being pierced.
“Everyone dodge!”
Yeon Siyun shouted urgently. Sehun embraced Jian’s waist and rolled to the side.
THUD!
A monster crashed like a shell into the spot where they had been standing moments ago. Jian raised his trembling eyes.
That was just the beginning. Against the burning sky, the creatures that had been flying freely began to hurl themselves toward the ground one by one.
Sounds like bombs exploding came from all directions. The monsters were the size of adult men. Though not small, their speed was beyond imagination.
“Hyunsu!”
Jian looked around searching for Hyunsu, knowing he didn’t have any significant defensive skills.
Ah, thank goodness.
Hyunsu was half-dazed beside Yongho. Just as Jian sighed in relief after confirming Hyunsu was safe…
A monster that had been motionless with its beak plunged into the ground suddenly raised its head. With a face untouched by any attack, it shuddered and then, with glowing eyes, searched for its target.
This looked ominous. His prediction wasn’t wrong. The moment Jian grabbed Sehun’s arm, the monster opened its beak wide.
Jian was terrified by the blood-red stream that shot out from inside the beak like a water gun. With his barrier skill still on cooldown, his body froze.
In this critical moment, Sehun extended his arm forward, his eyes turning blood-red. As if time had stopped, the crimson stream shooting from the monster halted. The monster’s eyes also lost their strength.
Abruptly closing its beak, the monster turned around, moving its short legs in quick steps.
“Kiaaack…!”
A monster attacked by its comrade rolled on the ground, shrieking. A sizzling sound came from its pierced stomach as the flesh burned.
While Sehun controlled the minds of approaching monsters to make them allies, Yongho used his necromancy skill to create an undead from a monster that had died, before it turned to ash.
“Come over here.”
Siyun took care of the trembling Hyunsu so Yongho could focus on battle. Thinking he was only causing trouble, Hyunsu gritted his teeth and used his skill to put monsters to sleep.
Nearby monsters collapsed to the ground like kites with cut strings. Seeing the monsters rolling around, Siyun patted Hyunsu’s shoulder approvingly.
While everyone’s attention was on the eagle-like monsters, a triangular head slowly rose from the lava.
Sssssss…
At the sound like a snake slithering on the ground, Sehun turned his eyes toward the source.
The monsters weren’t just in the sky. Snakes as thick as a child’s forearm were swimming in the lava flowing beneath the cracked ground.
Jian nervously swallowed. The moment he thought the bright yellow eyes of the monster that had raised its head were glowing, hot air engulfed his face.
“Hyung.”
Sehun quickly used telekinesis to block the monster. Seeing the monster flicking its tongue right in front of his face, Jian stepped back.
If Sehun’s reaction had been slightly delayed, Jian might have suffered severe burns on his face.
Swimming through lava like a river was extraordinary. Lava flowed between the scales of the snake, which was nearly 2 meters in total length.
Jian looked around. They hadn’t even reached Cerberus yet, but they were already pinned down.
Cerberus was watching the humans who couldn’t advance, leisurely swaying its tail.
“These creatures are A-rank monsters, but their abilities are strong! About as powerful as the Kraken!”
Siyun shouted as he struck an attacking eagle monster’s body with his greatsword.
They had planned to deal with Cerberus before the next team arrived, but at this rate, they would be exhausted before facing the strongest monster.
“We’ll retreat to the safe zone for now!”
Siyun changed his plan. He judged that other hunters would need to handle the A-rank monsters for the battle with Cerberus to go smoothly.
The pressure emanating from Cerberus was too ominous to face while exhausted.
Following Siyun’s directive, everyone returned to the safe zone. As soon as they passed through the blue barrier, Hyunsu slumped to the ground.
Despite wearing an artifact that optimized the temperature around his body, he was completely drenched in sweat.
“We’ll wait until all the next teams have entered.”
Siyun said, touching his sweat-beaded crown. Although there were no injuries, the mood had sunk due to the monsters’ unexpectedly strong abilities.
Jian also agreed with Siyun’s opinion. He had used his defense skill as soon as they entered the dungeon, so there was still a lot of cooldown time remaining.
He needed time to be able to use it immediately when the battle with Cerberus began.
* * *
“Is everyone okay?”
Shortly after, people from Team 2 onwards began entering one after another. Hyunwoo, who appeared through the portal, looked around and rushed toward Hyunsu, Jian, and Sehun.
Siyun gathered hunters with exploration skills to discover the monsters’ names, abilities, and weaknesses, then shared this information with the group.
“So each of these creatures is as strong as the Kraken?”
Jihwan wore a stunned expression as he looked at the monsters filling the sky and ground. Most of the 4th commando unit were A-rank hunters, but there were also some B-rank hunters who had joined due to the uniqueness of their skills.
It was nearly impossible for B-rank hunters to withstand attacks from top-tier A-rank monsters. Conversely, even if they attacked, they couldn’t inflict much damage without A-rank skills.
“Still, we have to deal with all of them. Only then can the S-rank hunters handle Cerberus.”
At Hyunwoo’s words, Jihwan nodded with a determined face.
All members of the 4th commando unit gathered inside the safe zone. Siyun reassigned teams based on individual abilities.
He also brought out additional artifacts that he and the Blue Dragon Guild members possessed. There was no guarantee this floor would be the last, but the dungeon’s difficulty was high enough to require their best effort.
Though small in size, each monster’s abilities were uniformly powerful. With the determination to prevent any casualties, Siyun held nothing back.
Stimulated by this, other guild leaders also brought out their secret artifacts, heating up the atmosphere.
After preparations were complete, Jian stood at the boundary between the safe zone and the outside. The difference from before was that numerous hunters were waiting with their weapons ready.
“Begin the attack.”
At Siyun’s command, diverse attacks erupted from all directions. Flames adorned the sky, and ice-blue frost cut through the air.
Many hunters also attacked directly with weapons. Hunters with complementary abilities gathered together and began dealing with the surrounding monsters.
“Seonjun! Can you blow that one away so it can’t get here!”
“Got it!”
“Guild Leader, I’ll back you up, so don’t worry!”
Hyunwoo also faced an eagle-like monster together with Jihwan and Seonjun. When aggro was drawn and another nearby monster tried to attack, Seonjun blew it away with his elongated arm.
Not missing the opportunity, Jihwan hit one of the monster’s wings with three arrows.
Jian forced himself to look away from them. Though he was concerned, now was the time to trust each other.
The same was true for others. Everyone’s gaze turned toward Cerberus. Since many hunters had entered the dungeon, the beast had risen from its prone position and was prowling in front of a thorn-covered gate.
Its eyes, gleaming with killing intent, turned toward the humans—as if warning that it would tear apart anyone who came near the gate.
“Let’s move out.”
Siyun stood at the very front, holding a greatsword in his hand. Jian followed behind him. Some of the strongest A-rank hunters surrounded them.
This was to block any monsters attacking from the surroundings until they reached Cerberus.
As discussed before departure, the S-rank hunters moved while conserving their strength as much as possible. Hyunsu’s shoulders flinched each time someone nearby got hurt.
Jian patted Hyunsu’s back while watching for the right moment to use his barrier skill. He needed to use his defensive skill just before Cerberus’s attack began.
It was a defensive skill that could block even S-rank monster attacks, so using it at the beginning would be advantageous for controlling the flow of battle.
