Chapter 41 – Anomaly (３)

“How’d you end up here?”

Gijun had just arrived at the dungeon entrance.

A familiar face stood beside him.

Ha Seol.

“Ah… with the dungeon’s difficulty spike, each guild decided to call in one more person. I volunteered.”

Seol spoke.

As she said, this dungeon was originally set for ten guilds to join.

One from each guild.

Besides Hwarang and Ure, the other sizable guilds had agreed to send one Superhuman apiece.

But with the rise in dungeon difficulty, every other guild pulled their support.

That left only Gijun and Park Gangseok.

“Emergency requisition, then.”

“Something like that, yeah.”

Seol smiled faintly.

“Big bro, we’re counting on you today.”

“We’ve heard all about your exploits.”

The ones chiming in beside her were the same Superhumans who’d run their first Hwarang raid alongside Seol.

Five from each guild.

That would fill the ten-person roster.

“Honestly, we almost got cut for not being ready. Only squeaked by because we’d worked with Master Gijun before.”

It was true.

These were Superhumans whose probation period had just ended.

The assessment said they still lacked the skill for this dungeon raid.

But they were the only Hwarang Superhumans who’d ever coordinated with Gijun.

They’d pushed hard on that point, risking it all to come with him.

“It’s an infinite honor, bro. Handshake, please.”

“Ah… haha.”

Gijun took the offered hand with an embarrassed look.

And now.

“Mr. Baek Gijun!”

“Mr. Baek Gijun, look over here!”

Reporters swarmed him.

But they wouldn’t get what they wanted.

“Save the interviews for later, shall we?”

“We’re pushing interviews back for our Superhuman’s protection.”

Woo Jimin and Cha Jeongho.

Because of the two of them barging in.

Grip!

Woo Jimin grabbed Gijun by both shoulders.

“Mr. Gijun. Take that smug bastard down a peg for me.”

Cha Jeongho did the same.

“Jeongho. That little brat needs to learn he can’t mouth off again. Got it?”

And so, the Level 4 newbie dungeon raid began.

“The Gate’s open!”

*

‘Hoo.’

Gijun and Ha Seol’s party entered the dungeon.

Ha Seol and the Superhumans looked different than before.

A bit of tension in their stances, and in some ways, a definite professional edge.

Of course, Gijun wasn’t the only one feeling that.

No, if anything, Ha Seol and the Superhumans were even more stunned by the sight of him.

‘…He’s like a completely different person.’

In that time, Gijun truly seemed to have become someone else entirely.

At their first meeting, he’d looked a little clueless, almost cowed.

Not anymore.

He held his own against any Superhuman they’d ever seen.

No, honestly—he felt far more reliable.

That kind of Aura wrapped around Gijun.

Then, Gijun smiled.

[Seeker-exclusive Achievement has been activated.]

– 5 Control Stones activated

– Reward: All Stats +10

‘Again.’

Just like the last dungeon, the Achievement had triggered.

The reward: all Stats +10.

More than enough to make anyone greedy.

Then—

CRRRUUUUMBLE!

“Huh?”

“What’s that sound…”

“Gah!”

With the roar, everyone’s gaze snapped forward.

There, a thick cloud of sand and smoke was billowing up.

“Damn it.”

“Looks like a Defense Dungeon.”

A Defense Dungeon.

The kind where you had to hold your ground against a ceaseless tide of monsters.

That’s what this dungeon was—a pure Defense Dungeon.

A tricky type of dungeon, and without managing your Stamina, a total wipe was inevitable. A high-difficulty hell.

Gijun stepped forward.

“Everyone, follow me closely.”

“Yes, uh—what?”

Everyone froze.

Gijun was a mage.

And he was telling them to follow?

As they hesitated for a moment—

THWACK!

Gijun shot forward at incredible speed.

A leap using Strong Wind.

Faster than anyone else in that space.

“Run! Run!”

The Superhumans finally moved, chasing after him.

Even as they ran, they couldn’t grasp what he was thinking.

‘He must have a plan.’

Right.

They decided to trust Gijun.

And that faith was proven the very next instant.

SHWOOOOSH!

“…Huh?”

“Holy shit.”

A geyser of blood erupted in an instant as a dozen monsters around Gijun were ripped to shreds, bodies flying into the air.

That was only the beginning.

WHOOOOSH!

“Holy shit.”

“What the hell am I looking at?”

“…”.

Everyone stared, wide-eyed and frozen in shock.

Because three Fireballs were floating in the air right now.

Boom! KRAKOOM! BOOM!

In an instant, the Fireballs rained down on the monsters and erupted.

“Doesn’t that feel stronger than before?”

“…No question…”

A scene so shocking it stole their words.

The Fireballs were stronger than last time.

Immeasurably so.

No — it made you wonder if you could even call this a Fireball anymore.

KRAKOOM!

In seconds, the flames conjured by the Fireballs swept over every single monster.

Wasn’t this just a field of brutal slaughter?

And before they could even process that… .

KRAKOOM!

Three more Fireballs were cast into existence.

The moment the previous ones detonated, new Fireballs were already being formed.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

An endless cascade of Fireballs fused with Strong Wind.

This was nothing less than a massacre.

And on top of that, Jun had leaped straight into the middle of the monster pack.

Even more astonishing was that the monsters couldn’t even touch a single hair on his head.

The moment they lunged at him, their bodies were shredded and launched into the air.

“Who the hell is that guy?”

“I’m starting to get scared.”

At least for now, there was nothing left for them to do.

All they could do was stare at Jun’s unbelievable firepower and pour out their awe.

*

“Alright! Let’s push them a little harder!”

Around the same time, the Superhumans of Ure were also struggling against the surging monsters.

“Gangseok, over here!”

“Yes!”

All the Superhumans were moving centered around one man: Park Gangseok.

It only made sense, really.

Because he was both the main dealer and the mage of this party.

Flash! KRAKABOOM!

The element he wielded was lightning.

The lightning element was undeniably a powerful one.

True, its raw power fell slightly short compared to fire or ice.

But lightning’s strength lay in its fast casting and wide area of effect.

KEEEYOW! CAAACK!

Bolts of lightning struck down from the sky and branched out across the surrounding area.

“Nice! Now this side!”

The Tanker held the monsters’ attacks, while simultaneously herding them into positions where Park Gangseok could strike most effectively.

The Superhumans on the second line blocked and finished off any monsters that the Tanker pushed away from Park Gangseok.

The monsters were thinning out fast.

Watching this, the Superhumans breathed a sigh of relief.

“As expected of Ure!”

“No matter how tough those bastards act, they can’t touch us!”

“Of course, Seniors.”

Park Gangseok was also feeling a thrill of pleasure.

Ure really was the best.

He himself was going to be the best, too.

“There has to be a Control Stone somewhere! Find the Control Stone!”

That was when someone shouted.

Control Stone.

It was an object that existed exclusively in defense-type Dungeons.

To stop the monster wave, you had to find a Control Stone and activate it.

“This Dungeon should have at least two more Control Stones than a standard Level 4. Probably around seven total.”

“So it comes down to a fight over the Control Stones after all.”

“Most likely. Who destroys more Control Stones — and who finds the Boss Monster first.”

“…Hoo.”

He was right.

It might be his first time in this Dungeon, but knowing the type meant he could handle it.

Of course, that didn’t solve everything.

“The question is what monster’s guarding each Control Stone.”

To activate a Control Stone, you had to kill its Guardian first.

The Guardian that protected the Stone.

No one knew yet what kind of monster it would be.

“This side’s clear!”

Around then, Ure’s Superhumans had finished off all the nearby monsters.

“Let’s move! If we want to rack up points, we gotta run!”

“Yes, sir.”

They started moving again.

But.

“Shit.”

“This difficulty is no joke.”

Before long, another wave of monsters began pouring in.

The problem was —

“Flying monsters!”

Even aerial monsters had appeared.

This was definitely way beyond Level 4 difficulty.

Still, they grinned and spoke.

“Gangseok, you’re up!”

“Leave it to me.”

Park Gangseok, with his lightning attribute.

Aerial-type monsters were hardly a challenge for him.

*

Around the same time.

“Whoa… seriously…”

“Why are we even here?”

“Why? To fill the numbers, that’s why.”

Bitter, self-mocking words drifted through the air.

It couldn’t be helped.

They had almost nothing to do.

Because Gijun wasn’t an ordinary mage — he was already single-handedly slaughtering every monster that came pouring in.

No need for a Tanker. No need for support.

He charged alone into enemy lines, swept through the monsters, then pushed straight ahead.

He’d already wiped out several waves by himself, leaving them as mere spectators.

“Well, no harm, no foul, right?”

“Right. Let’s think of it that way.”

While they were talking —

“I think I could use a little help now.”

Gijun stared at a single spot and said.

In that direction stood a massive pillar.

A black pillar.

“That’s the Control Stone!”

Literally.

They had just found the first Control Stone.

And of course, the Guardian was right there beside it —

“It’s an Urtuka!”

An Urtuka.

A monster at the level you’d only see in Level 5 Dungeons.

And not just that —

“A Two-Horned Urtuka, no less.”

The top-tier breed among the Urtuka.

This was, without a doubt, the moment they faced a formidable Guardian.

What made it worse was that the bastard was a flying-type monster.

A sharp rustle cut the air.

In an instant, the creature spread its wings.

It was bracing to take flight.

“Everyone, focus.”

Gijun’s voice cut through again, and they swallowed hard, tightening their grips on their weapons.

Two-Horned Urtuka.

The thing was built like a rhinoceros.

Plainly put, a flying rhino.

And the hide wrapped across its body was tougher than most steel.

But what was even more astonishing was its movement.

The Two-Horned Urtuka was fast, and its direction changes were fluid, almost reckless.

And that wasn’t all.

A guttural cry—Kaak! Kaaaaak!

Dozens of Urtuka swarmed around the Two-Horned Urtuka.

Their size was only about a tenth of the big one’s, but they were no less troublesome.

“We’ll split into two teams.”

Then Gijun spoke.

“I’ll move alone. The rest of you, draw its attention and focus on tanking as much as you can.”

Utterly arrogant words.

A dangerously reckless plan.

Especially with Urtuka—they could swarm him in an instant.

Dozens of Urtuka diving from the air were practically the natural enemy of Superhumans like mages.

But they knew.

Gijun wasn’t an ordinary mage.

If anything, this strategy was the most suited for him.

But then—

‘What’s this?’

Gijun felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

‘…Why do I sense something familiar…?’

A deeply familiar presence, as if he’d felt it somewhere before, was washing over him.

At that moment, Gijun’s eyes shot wide open.

Because he realized what that familiarity was.

‘This is definitely…’