#72
“Hold on!”
“The ice is breaking!”
“Everyone grab onto each other!”
CRASH!
The hunter creating the protective barrier quickly used his ability to shield all the hunters from the sand dragon’s attack, but there was nothing he could do about the floor breaking and everyone falling down. They all grabbed onto each other to prevent anyone from falling. The fortunate thing was that the support hunter had the ability to create walls. The wall, created in an egg-like rounded shape, enveloped the hunters. It seemed the outer part was made elongated, as they slid down the sand like surfing on waves, without getting buried in the sand.
The protective barrier shook violently several times, and pieces of the broken wall fell to the floor. The hunter who was reinforcing the barrier in preparation for subsequent attacks had sweat beading on his face. It seemed like he was experiencing excessive mana consumption. Seo Yi-young immediately healed that hunter. Though he instantly recovered, this was only a temporary solution.
They couldn’t tell how deep the desert was or how long they would have to stay inside the protective barrier. But the longer they remained confined in the barrier, the more remote their chances of completing the raid became. The other combat hunters felt the same way.
“Remove the barrier!”
“But the mobs are still…!”
“We can’t even attack like this!”
The support hunters and combat hunters had conflicting opinions.
“No!”
A loud shout cut through the voices arguing their positions.
It was Joo-in. His eyes were glowing white. Anyone could tell he was using his ability.
“Wait a moment!”
At Joo-in’s warning, the hunters exchanged glances with each other.
“What? What’s…AHHH!”
A moment later, the protective sphere they were riding in shook violently, causing the hunters to tumble to the floor.
“Now’s the time!”
“Okay. Good. Everyone cover your ears!”
A-Class combat hunter Yoo Chae-woong, who had been advocating to go out and attack, shouted. Following another attack from the mob, the rounded wall that was protecting them cracked with a splintering sound. Not missing that opening, Yoo Chae-woong clenched his fist and jumped out from inside.
BOOM! KABOOM! BOOM!
After a series of explosions, the air vibrated with a rumbling sound. Acrid smoke drifted inside.
“Goodness. I’m surprised he held back for so long.”
Oh Seong-yeon muttered as if she couldn’t believe it. Leaving the broken barrier, Oh Seong-yeon had an arrow nocked and was aiming somewhere.
FWISH—
There was the sound of an arrow flying. Then THWACK, the sound of it hitting something, followed immediately by an indescribable scream from a mob.
“Lee Hyun-tae, Choi Min-woo, Park Eui-nam on guard!”
Oh Seong-yeon’s shout could be heard from outside the barrier.
Seo Yi-young came out of the protective barrier to check on the other hunters’ conditions. His duty was to immediately heal the hunters if they faced dangerous situations. Seo Yi-young quickly checked the status of hunters who were scattered around attacking. While doing so, he noticed a hunter who appeared to be injured. Seo Yi-young immediately used his healing on that hunter.
A low whistle sounded. Oh Seong-yeon, who had been standing at a distance, approached Seo Yi-young.
“How far can you reach?”
“Up to 50 meters. No further than that, I’m afraid.”
“50 meters, huh. Even to where that hothead is?”
Oh Seong-yeon murmured lowly while making a chin gesture. In the direction she pointed, Yoo Chae-woong was hunting a couple of mobs while shouting battle cries. Whether it was because the healer Seo Yi-young had come, or if it was just his style, he wasn’t paying any attention to defense.
“It’s possible.”
As soon as Seo Yi-young finished speaking, he used his ability on Yoo Chae-woong, carefully controlling it so that the healing wouldn’t affect the mobs he was fighting.
“HYAAAH!”
Oh Seong-yeon nodded with satisfaction as she observed Yoo Chae-woong continuing his vigorous and rough movements. While adapting to the environment was somewhat difficult, the mobs themselves weren’t particularly challenging.
After confirming that the surrounding area was relatively clear, Choi Min-woo called toward the inside of the barrier.
“It’s safe. You can come out.”
Coming out of the barrier, Seo Yi-young’s mouth fell open at the surrounding landscape. It was a vast meadow. This was the first time he’d seen a new-type dungeon where the environment changed so drastically, like flipping the palm of your hand. This was almost like an attraction at an amusement park.
A massive tree stood tall in the center of the meadow. The tree was divided into four sections, as if the four seasons were gathered in one place. One side had green leaves, another had lush foliage with blooming flowers, yet another had yellow and red leaves like autumn foliage, and the last one had dry branches covered with white snow.
“This is what I like about new-type dungeons. If you’re lucky, it feels like you’re on vacation in a fairy tale.”
If it had been anyone else, they would have been called immature, but since it was Oh Seong-yeon who made the comment, no one objected. How many dungeons must she have conquered to be able to speak so casually?
She touched the feathers of the arrows in her quiver as if gauging how many remained.
“About now, it should be coming out. The boss mob.”
RUMBLE—
The ground shook. Everyone sharpened their senses to find the source of the sound.
“It’s above!”
Joo-in shouted, his eyes glowing. At his signal, the hunters simultaneously took combat stances, ready to attack upward.
From a purple vortex swirling fiercely in the sky, something began to emerge with a flash of light. A sound that vibrated their bodies like thunder pounded on their eardrums.
Just when the tension peaked as everyone wondered what the boss mob would look like…
What came out of the vortex was a dragon the size of a forearm.
It was questionable to even call it a dragon; it would be better to call it a seahorse. When the yellow seahorse appeared, floating buoyantly, several hunters who had been staring tensely at the sky exhaled disappointed sighs.
“Stay alert!”
But with Oh Seong-yeon’s sharp command, the relaxed atmosphere instantly became tense again.
“Prepare for fire defense!”
Once again, Joo-in shouted, and the support hunters nearby quickly responded. They were about to create another protective barrier, but Joo-in shook his head. His eyes were still glowing white.
“That won’t be nearly enough! Quickly!”
At Joo-in’s words, other support hunters joined in. In a short time, they completed a protective barrier made of thick walls and ice.
“Me, Yoo Chae-woong, and Lee Hyun-tae will attack from outside. The rest of the hunters get inside the barrier!”
The hunters moved urgently according to the instructions. Seo Yi-young, judging that it would be best to face the boss mob in optimal condition, healed the hunters who were going outside. He wondered if they would be okay outside, but it was clear that if everyone hid inside the barrier, they wouldn’t even have a chance to attack.
The seahorse, which had been floating down gently, seemed to be opening and closing its small mouth when it suddenly spewed flames of unimaginable, terrifying intensity.
Even behind the protective barrier, the heat was so intense that they could feel the hot energy directly. The barrier was melting, unable to withstand it. It was hot enough to make them think they would die inside without even getting a chance to fight. It felt like being inside a giant steamer.
The sound of the flames was so fierce that no other sounds could be heard. Were Oh Seong-yeon, Yoo Chae-woong, and Lee Hyun-tae still fighting outside the barrier? They couldn’t even guess.
The inside was filled with the cries of hunters suffering from the heat.
“This part of the barrier is melting! Quick, install additional protection!”
“I’m already doing it! Urgh…!”
“Here too! Hurry!”
Everyone was in chaos. Seo Yi-young was continuously healing to prevent the hunters’ health from dropping. The reason everyone was still safe in a place where they should have been burned to a crisp was because of Seo Yi-young’s ability to heal them frighteningly fast, not giving them time to get hurt.
“Here! Regenerate this part!”
A voice that sounded like a scream reached Seo Yi-young’s ears.
Regeneration.
Seo Yi-young felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. From the perspective of regeneration, Seo Yi-young could help. While healing the hunters’ health with one hand, he placed his other hand on the barrier wall. He could feel the hot energy on his palm. Seo Yi-young gritted his teeth.
If you think you can’t do it, you’ll lose momentum before you even start. I can do this.
If healing isn’t limited to only biological concepts, it’s not entirely unreasonable. No, it’s quite possible. He needed to use his ability on the wall in front of him while healing the other hunters’ bodies. If he lost focus even for a moment, the hunters could suffer fatal damage to their lungs from exposure to high heat. The light gathered in Seo Yi-young’s hand grew stronger. As he concentrated, he could gradually feel the sensation at his fingertips changing.
Seo Yi-young’s prediction was correct.
The barrier began to regenerate.
“Hunter Seo, what are you do—huh? What?”
The first to notice the change was Jeon Joo-young, the support hunter standing right next to Seo Yi-young. And then the two hunters who were creating the barrier. Since Seo Yi-young was restoring portions that were melting away from the heat, it seemed much easier for them to make it thicker. The heat that had been warming the air gradually lessened. It wasn’t enough to completely relax, but the hunters began to find a bit of breathing room.
Then suddenly, the fierce flames that had been pouring down stopped abruptly.
Is it over now?
Seo Yi-young was worried about the safety of the hunters who had gone out to fight.
“Are you okay?”
“Wow… What is this? It’s incredibly thick.”
Voices could be heard from outside the barrier. Their voices got closer to the barrier. The hunters who had gone outside the protective barrier to fight had returned. Fortunately, they didn’t appear to be injured anywhere.
“Are you alright?”
Seo Yi-young asked while immediately casting healing on them. Oh Seong-yeon smiled, apparently finding it quite amusing.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
