Chapter 57

Siyoon gazed at the ancient tree that seemed poised to devour the sky itself.

It was far too massive to be described with a simple word like “large.”

To exaggerate slightly, the trunk alone spanned an area roughly the size of a soccer field.

‘The journey to the Heart of the Rainforest was surprisingly smooth.’

For a trek that involved fending off magic beasts charging at them along the way, they had made excellent time.

It was proof that the party’s coordination had sharpened as they progressed through the dungeon.

But the ancient tree had no visible entrance.

“Magic beasts are swarming in!”

“We need to find an entrance and get inside, fast!”

The party members shouted while keeping watch on their rear.

True to their words, the magic beasts they had ignored and bypassed were now flooding toward them like a torrent.

Siyoon quickly scanned the ancient tree.

‘I thought we could just walk right in, but we need to find an entrance again.’

The Heart of the Rainforest, which was supposed to have been revealed, had no visible entrance on its surface.

Multiple trunks were thickly intertwined, giving the appearance of a single unified tree.

But Siyoon’s intuition screamed that the path lay within.

Path Finder’s effects were never wrong, which meant something was hidden here.

Just then, he spotted a small groove between the trunks.

“This is…”

Confirming it was a keyhole, Siyoon furrowed his brow.

He never expected the key found in the ancient tree of the Underground Passage would be used here.

But he had already used it as enhancement material for a skill book, so there was no retrieving it.

‘Wait. Then it might be possible to open this using the Path Finder skill.’

Path Finder was a skill born from combining a key with a great success in Enhancement.

Which meant there was a very high possibility that the key’s inherent effect had been absorbed into the skill.

Pak!

Siyoon immediately approached the keyhole and placed his hand on it.

There was no time to weigh the possibilities.

Now was the time to produce results through action.

Saaaa…

The moment Siyoon’s hand made contact, the nearby trunks twitched in response.

Soon, the thick trunks shifted, revealing an entrance leading inside.

It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, but his reasoning was correct.

“Everyone, get in!”

The party members, who had been watching his direction, quickly caught on and dashed through the entrance.

Once all four had entered, the parted trunks swiftly sealed shut.

Kutung, kung!

Kwadeudeuk!

“Huu…”

Eunhyun let out a sigh as he listened to the sound of magic beasts tearing at the thick trunks.

It had been close. Had they been even a moment later, they would have been swept away.

“Is this the Heart of the Rainforest?”

“It’s not as threatening as I expected.”

The interior of the ancient tree was, quite literally, enormous.

The hollow interior featured multiple intertwined trunks spiraling upward.

But that was all there was to it.

It was hard to say there were multiple floors or that anything was stored inside.

Just then, something caught Siyoon’s eye.

“There’s a Core over there.”

“You found the Core?”

Instead of explaining, Siyoon simply pointed.

At the center of the ancient tree’s interior, which he had assumed was empty.

A red gemstone entwined with multiple branches hung there, pulsating.

It was the Core that formed the Heart of the Rainforest.

It was so conspicuous that it could be recognized at a glance.

“We just need to destroy that, right?”

Baekseon’s eyes darkened with intensity.

He looked ready to charge out and cleave the Core apart at any moment.

But Siyoon raised a hand to stop him.

“Don’t act rashly. You seem to have forgotten, but there’s something else we need to deal with.”

Destroying the Heart’s Core was only one of their objectives.

Far more important was defeating the boss.

Paaaat.

At that moment, hundreds of bell-shaped flowers hanging from the trunks simultaneously emitted light.

The rather dim interior of the ancient tree brightened as though someone had switched on fluorescent lights.

Before they could even marvel at the beauty of the flowers blooming all at once.

A sinister energy coalesced at the center.

Siyoon’s gaze snapped toward it reflexively.

What he saw was utterly grotesque.

Kkudeuk, kkudeudeudeuk.

The roots and trunks carpeting the ground clumped together as though alive.

Entangling and twisting around each other, they gradually began to take shape.

Roots became legs, weaving together joints and a torso in an instant.

Trunks filled the empty spaces, covering the form like armor.

Growing steadily larger, it soon transformed into a wooden giant standing three meters tall.

[ Boss Monster ‘Angramel’ has appeared. ]

“What… Angramel?”

“That thing is Angramel?”

The party reacted with disbelief at the message that appeared.

It was understandable.

After all, Angramel was a golem made of wood.

Its classified magic beast rank was even low-level.

But the Angramel before them was different.

An impossibly sturdy body.

Flawlessly constructed limbs, with defensive gear fashioned from wood.

It wielded a spear in one hand and a circular shield in the other.

To anyone watching, it resembled a guardian far more than a mere minion.

It was befitting of the title “boss.”

Kkegik.

At that moment, red light gathered in Angramel’s sunken eye sockets, and its head turned.

The creature vanished in a flash.

“Get out of the way!!”

Kkwa-a-a-a-ang—!

A fist thrust past Taeju collided with the tip of the spear.

With a roar like an exploding bomb, a violent shockwave rippled outward.

The rest of the party seemed to have missed it, but Siyoon had read the creature’s attack precisely.

‘To think it would leap immediately and thrust with the spear.’

The moment Angramel registered their presence, it launched itself from its position.

Then it drove its massive spear straight at Baekseon with full force.

If Siyoon hadn’t blocked it, Baekseon would have suffered at least a fatal wound.

Chwaak!

When its attack was blocked, the creature retreated.

And then observed their movements with a steady gaze.

As though it knew exactly how to fight.

“…I don’t think we should treat this as an ordinary Angramel.”

“Obviously. A monster like that could never be ordinary.”

“Focus. Killing that thing is our priority right now.”

Siyoon shook out his tingling hand.

He had applied Enhancement in that split second, which prevented him from being impaled by the spear.

The pain and wounds would soon heal, thanks to the Patience of Nature.

The problem was Angramel itself.

With his senses sharpened by Enhancement and Path Finder, he had been able to react.

But the others had been slightly slower to respond.

In other words, among the party, only Siyoon had responded accurately to that attack.

This meant Siyoon was the only one who could handle its attacks on equal footing. “This time, I’ll join the front lines.”

“…Please do.”

Recognizing this, no one objected.

If anything, the gazes fixed on the creature brimmed with hostility and wariness.

Siyoon continued calmly.

“Just as before, Taeju and Baekseon, move together. Eunhyun, target its flanks on your own. I’ll open the way.”

“It’ll be dangerous.”

“It will be. But it’s better than being picked off one by one.”

The party gripped their weapons tightly.

Their pride had been stung.

But this, too, was a reaction Siyoon had deliberately provoked.

They needed a certain level of alertness to sharpen their senses.

‘There’s no better fuel for that than anger.’

He didn’t normally enjoy needling people, but given the circumstances, there was no helping it.

Anger was far better suited as fuel for combat than frustration and helplessness.

All he could do was hope the rest would follow suit.

‘Huu.’

Siyoon exhaled inwardly.

Then he glared at Angramel’s grotesque crimson glow.

The boss battle of the Hidden Route was about to begin in earnest.

* * *

“I can’t kindly explain this multiple times, so listen carefully.”

“Were you planning to explain it multiple times from the start?”

“Enough, just tell us quickly.”

“We don’t have time.”

Siyoon held his sniper rifle at the ready.

“I’ll create the openings. Until then, stay close and focus on defense.”

“Defense-focused, huh… You’re telling us to disrupt its attack routes and movement paths.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

Charging at Angramel all at once was a poor choice.

If the speed and power it had displayed initially were its average, it would be a headache.

Right now, they needed to gauge its combat capabilities.

Tat.

Siyoon temporarily overlaid Enhancement on his legs and feet.

Using his strengthened leg muscles and elasticity, he kicked off the ground.

With a vibration that shook the earth, Siyoon appeared beside Angramel and thrust out a knife-hand strike.

Tukwak!

Angramel blocked the strike with its shield.

Simultaneously shoving him back to create distance, it swung the spear in its right hand.

‘As expected, it blocks this level of attack easily.’

It was disappointing that the attack didn’t land, but it was expected.

Given its speed, it would have been stranger if it hadn’t reacted.

Siyoon instantly Enhanced his legs and feet again.

He spun his body to regain his balance, then launched into the air.

He pulled the trigger of the sniper rifle held in one hand.

Tututututututu!!

A relentless hail of bullets poured forth.

Each round had its penetration and damage amplified using the Wind of Horus.

It was enough to pierce even the mutant Ascent, yet it only managed to damage the shield.

Syureureureuk.

Worse still, the damaged shield was repaired as surrounding branches wove themselves back together.

‘I suspected as much, but it can regenerate too.’

It certainly had the presence of a Hidden Route boss in an unconquered dungeon.

‘But there’s still something I need to confirm.’

Cheolkeok!

Suddenly, Siyoon’s muzzle pointed skyward.

Up there was the Core that formed the Heart of the Rainforest they had entered.

He pulled the trigger without hesitation, and the bullet tore through the air.

Then something unexpected happened.

Tukwang!!

Angramel leaped just as he had, soaring past Siyoon to swat the bullet with its spear.

Siyoon’s eyes narrowed.

‘Just as I thought. That must be its weakness.’

Both the objective and its appearance suggested it was a weak point.

Even Path Finder had marked the Core alongside Angramel’s weakness.

But his original purpose had been to observe Angramel’s reaction to the Core.

Just then, Angramel hurled its spear at Siyoon.

Already watching its movements, Siyoon deflected it with his fist without difficulty.

But what mattered was what came next.

Udeudeudeuk!

A new spear formed from Angramel’s right arm, now empty after the throw.

Siyoon twisted his body to narrowly evade it, then kicked off the creature and landed on the ground.

‘Regeneration and body modification, huh.’

It possessed only the most troublesome traits imaginable.

At this rate, the longer they dragged things out, the worse it would be for them.

Once again, they needed to force a decisive exchange quickly.

Kkadek.

Siyoon sent the signal, then immediately charged at Angramel.

He dodged the spear thrust coming from the front and pinned down the shield.

[ Overlaying Enhancement on ‘Hands’. ]

[ Attack power increases significantly. ]

[ Strength increases significantly. ]

Ujikkeun!

The wooden shield connecting to the creature shattered, revealing a solid arm beneath.

Before it could regenerate, Siyoon scattered shell casings into the gap.

And then, he Enhanced them.

[ Enhancement failed. ]

[ Enhancement failed. ]

[ Enhancement failed. ]

Kwakwakwakwakwang!!

Angramel’s body reeled from the explosion at point-blank range.

Simultaneously, the regeneration of the spear and shield forming in its hands slowed.

‘No matter how important its weapons are, restoring its body must take priority.’

This was something he had observed when fighting Ascent.

When fire had destroyed its main body, hadn’t the regeneration of its branches been noticeably slower as it worked to restore itself?

“Haap!”

Taeju and Baekseon, who had been waiting for the signal, swung their weapons.

Under the solid mace and sharp blade, Angramel’s main body staggered once more.

Just then, Angramel’s eye sockets flared.

“Fall back!”

“Kuh, damn it!”

Kwajijijijik!

Roots erupted from beneath the creature’s feet, lashing Taeju and Baekseon in an instant.

They avoided critical injuries by a hair’s breadth, but the distance between them widened once again.

“Tsk.”

Siyoon clicked his tongue.

In that brief window, Angramel’s regeneration had nearly completed.

Monstrous strength, rapid regeneration, and combat instincts on top of it all.

He had expected as much, but this was truly a formidable opponent.