Chapter 108

Having successfully lured the seven fairies, Taewoon’s group was able to send them to their graves in an instant with the help of the party members who had formed a formation behind them.

‘So this is a first-string party from a small-to-medium guild… Their firepower is certainly impressive when several skilled individuals gather.’

Of course, they were no match for Kalliedu or Hongyeon, but honestly, Taewoon felt that if he hadn’t entered the Heavenly Secret Manual Theater, he might have ended up in a similar state as the now-dead fairies.

It was a moment that made him realize once again the latent power of large guilds or organizations like the Gwangseong Church.

“That ended more cleanly than I expected. Let’s keep moving forward. Taewoon, could you handle the monster detection like you did before?”

“Yes. No problem.”

Since it wasn’t such a massive dungeon, they should be able to reach the center soon if they continued moving like this for a few more hours.

The group continued to advance without letting their guard down, and soon they encountered a second group of monsters.

“…Four Rutile Fairies, and in the center, there’s a Type 3 Sprite Gremlin.”

“Whoa, really? This is my first time seeing one of those. They’re incredibly rare.”

III-67—Sprite Gremlin.

They are characterized by their ability to handle powerful hallucination-type magic and their spirit-like form without a physical body, meaning most attacks cannot deal proper damage to them.

“Our dealers might struggle to take it down in one go, but we can definitely accumulate enough damage. The problem is that dealing with the hallucination magic is difficult… Myeongjin, can you handle the care?”

“Honestly, all nine of us is impossible. It’s wide-range magic, so it’s not something I can just take on my own and end it.”

Among the ten Hunters, Myeongjin was the only one holding the title of a Level 4-rank Hunter, but his Trait was the type that strengthened his own defense rather than one that could cover a large number of party members.

“I think I can hold out. My constitution doesn’t react well to mental magic.”

“I can attack from long range… I think it’ll be fine if I just position myself outside the range to begin with.”

Juyeon and one of the Level 4 dealers spoke up first, and the rest of the party members gathered to think deeply about the situation.

Taewoon also possessed the Final Rampart Cinema Skill, but he doubted whether a Level 3-rank Protective Zone could perfectly block the Gremlin’s hallucination magic.

‘Would it be okay if I used the Star Absorption Great Technique and Remegethon together?’

Honestly, Taewoon was confident he could endure the magic even with his bare body.

However, if he volunteered to protect them and failed to keep the party members safe, it wouldn’t end as a joke.

Therefore, he decided to watch the situation for now, and soon a plan was established under Saebom’s lead.

“Alright, first, I’ll divide the group into two teams again.”

“Two? In what way?”

“You all know about monster waves, right? This time, we’ll adopt that method and enter sequentially.”

The Sprite Gremlin’s hallucination magic was certainly powerful, but it had the weakness of being unable to be used consecutively within a short period.

In other words, the plan was for those capable of actively dealing with hallucinations to enter first, and the moment the creature used its magic, the second wave would enter immediately to wipe out the enemies in one fell swoop.

“Myeongjin, please focus on blocking the fairies’ attacks on the front line. Juyeon and Taewoon, support Myeongjin and lure the Gremlin’s magic. The two of you who can attack from long range, coordinate your efforts to intercept the fairies one by one.”

“Understood.”

Once the decision was made, there was no need to hesitate.

Taewoon discussed positions with the two leading the charge, formed the formation, and then dashed forward, hurling Barata at the nearest fairy.

Startled by the throw packed with magical power, the fairies scattered in confusion, and taking advantage of that gap, Myeongjin and Juyeon closed the distance and took their promised positions.

A massive cave where not even light reached. Sparkling crystals were embedded everywhere, illuminating the fairies flying between them.

“I’ll try to block as much as possible, but some attacks might leak through!”

Along with Myeongjin’s shout, a mixture of sharp metallic ringing and the sound of rupturing magical power began to blend together.

“Hah!”

Myeongjin gripped a sturdy steel shield firmly with both hands and planted his feet resolutely on the cave floor.

Then, the bombardments that were being fired toward Taewoon and Juyeon curved as if drawn by a magnet, hammering his armor and shield, denting them and leaving sharp scars.

“Kugh… Be careful! The power is stronger than before!”

As Myeongjin said, the fairies’ magic had indeed become more powerful. It was possible they were being influenced by the Gremlin in some way.

“Just hold on a bit longer!”

Taking advantage of a lull in the bombardment, Juyeon kicked off the ground and charged toward the Gremlin floating in the air.

However, the fairies moved their characteristic translucent wings busily, blocking Juyeon’s path with agile maneuvers.

Soon, red beams of light erupted from their fingertips and began to pour toward Juyeon.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Myeongjin, who had followed the movement a step late, shouted in a thick voice and slammed his shield into the ground.

The shield took the explosion of red magical power head-on, emitting a dull impact sound, and sparks accompanied by heat flew from its surface.

“Nice!”

At that moment, Juyeon, who had cleverly hidden herself behind Myeongjin, moved like the wind.

Her long hair fluttered in the air, leaving a blue afterglow charged with electricity. She had no weapon in her hand, but her fists and feet contained vast amounts of magical power, enough to crush the enemy.

The flashing current from Juyeon’s fingertips accurately struck one fairy, and perfectly timed support arrived simultaneously from the dealers in the rear.

With a short scream, one fairy plummeted to the ground, emitting smoke.

Meanwhile, the remaining fairies targeted Juyeon again, but Myeongjin filled the gap at a precarious moment, using the power of his Trait to lure the bombardment toward himself once more.

“Too slow! I told you not to just rely on the shield and move more actively!”

Juyeon shouted sharply as she quickly rotated her body.

She extended her palm toward one of the fairies that had finished its bombardment, and an electric whip extending from her fingertips sliced through the air, tearing the creature’s wings apart.

“Even if you say that… I’m not the type with high agility to begin with!”

Myeongjin replied through gritted teeth. Another bombardment struck the shield and exploded, the shockwave shaking the entire cave.

Small fragments falling from the crystal walls hit the ground, making a crystal-clear sound. And matching that noise, Taewoon, who had approached the Gremlin’s immediate vicinity in a state of perfect stealth, focused his consciousness on the red mask he wore on his face.

‘Right now!’

【Condition Fulfilled】

【Cinema Skill: The Red Man】

In an instant, an unprecedented chill filled the surroundings, and Taewoon’s body was enveloped in a hazy mist.

The Gremlin, which had been wary of Juyeon and Myeongjin, was startled and hurriedly flew higher into the air, but in a crystal cave where light and darkness coexisted everywhere, it could never shake off Taewoon’s pursuit.

‘Once more!’

Taewoon, appearing as if surging from the middle of the cave wall, took a stance while floating in the air and drew a sharp line with the spear in his hand.

‘Eight Ghost Spear: Fifth Form, Soul-Severing Whirlwind!’

Barata rotated rapidly, entwining the wind.

The tip of the spear drew a circle, sucking in the surrounding air, and several spear strikes extending in all directions simultaneously struck the Gremlin’s body.

“Kyaaaak!”

The Gremlin struggled and created a magical barrier engraved with mysterious patterns, but Taewoon, who had imbued the flames of Fenrir into his spear, tore right through it and pierced the opponent’s shoulder.

Wavering magical power fell away from the creature’s body, which had been floating as a spirit, and soon it melted away like paint and vanished.

A situation where it clearly felt a threat to its life.

As per the information received beforehand, the Gremlin drew up a massive amount of magical power and waved both hands, casting magic targeting all the space before its eyes.

In an instant, the streaks of magical power attempting to encroach upon Taewoon’s mind crumbled one by one and lost their light.

‘…It’s a success!’

The illusion magic had clearly been cast. Accordingly, Taewoon sent the promised signal to the reinforcements, and the party members who entered in an instant surrounded the creature and the fairies, pouring in all possible firepower.

“Be careful! Don’t lose track of them!”

“Leave it to me. At this distance, there’s no way I’ll miss.”

Soon, a dark blue sphere began to rise from the hand of the Level 4-rank dealer, Joo Young-gil, and starting with that, a great impact shook the interior of the cave, leaving various traces behind.

“Rutile Fairies clear! All hunted!”

“Sprite Gremlin clear! Don’t let your guard down and secure your vision!”

Baran’s guild members moved in an orderly fashion even in such a chaotic situation, performing their respective roles.

Soon, the surrounding vision was perfectly illuminated by the party’s mages, and the team members breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that all monsters had died.

“Wow, I guess it’s over. Wasn’t there nothing in the database about the Gremlin using buffs?”

“I don’t know… whether only specific individuals are affected by that, or if the number of individuals capable of using it is limited…”

“That’s one more thing to report. For now, please check for injuries and focus on reorganizing. If there are no problems, we will resume the raid in 20 minutes.”

At those words, Myeongjin, who had been tense, lowered his shield and sat down, panting for breath. Wiping away sweat, he expressed his gratitude to Taewoon.

“You were amazing. Normally, I should have provided more support… but the fairies’ offensive was quite something, so I was worried.”

“It was easy to move thanks to the two of you definitely drawing their attention.”

“Not at all. Honestly, you did everything, Taewoon. I honestly didn’t think you’d succeed in intercepting the Gremlin alone.”

At Myeongjin’s honest praise, Taewoon chuckled and reached out to shake hands.

Seeing this, Juyeon slid over and poked Myeongjin in the ribs.

“Not thankful to me? If it weren’t for me, you’d have been fairy food already.”

“I don’t know. Rather, wasn’t your movement too aggressive?”

“What? You’ve got a lot of nerve.”

They seemed to be bickering, but faint smiles appeared on both of their lips.

Inside the quiet crystal cave, watching the two of them, Taewoon turned his gaze to stare at the passage beyond.

Guessing that the boss of this dungeon would likely not be an easy opponent.