Chapter 177 – Poisonous Insect Dungeon (1)

After the unprecedented Gate incident.

The Gates, once thought to have vanished, continued to appear.

The Tushin Guild tackled them more aggressively than ever, even bidding on the lowest-grade Gates they would normally ignore.

They hired a large number of hunters under exceptional terms to secure more conquests.

Since it was the free agency season, recruiting personnel wasn’t a major issue. The Tushin Guild had more than enough money to burn.

Seol Ji-hoon also received orders from the guild and set out to conquer a high-grade dungeon.

Everywhere he went, members of his fan club, Seoraksan, cheered him on, holding pamphlets.

“Ah, this is so demoralizing.”

“How can you even compare us to him? There’s nothing to be demoralized about.”

Two status windows. The best tanker in the country. And as if that weren’t enough, a face as handsome as any celebrity’s.

They could only chew on the world’s unfairness once more.

Seol Ji-hoon smiled gently at his young female fans.

Seeing his smiling face, the girls shrieked as they snapped pictures with their phones.

Watching this, the other hunters felt less envy and more a sense of pity.

Being popular was great, but having every single move watched had to be uncomfortable.

-Grade: High

-Name: Insect Dungeon

-Boss: Poisonous Insect Valekan ★★★

-Rewards

Unique: Venomous Thorn, Venomous Crown

Rare: Poison Resistance Ring, Cure, Magic Missile

The dungeon information was displayed by the new Wizard system.

A 3-star boss was a serious threat. Because of the poison it possessed.

Even the strongest were powerless against poison.

If the boss’s name itself was ‘Poisonous Insect’, its venom was unlikely to be trivial.

Thus, the Tushin raid party had come prepared with hazmat suits and gas masks.

“No problems.”

A supporter with a familiar-type scouting skill checked the surroundings first.

“There’s an insect nest 50 meters ahead. Everyone needs to get a protection skill buff!”

Thanks to the information from the skilled veteran scout, there was no great danger.

The supporters all wore protective suits, while the main combat party, who would do most of the fighting, moved out after receiving the protection buff skill.

In battle, the smallest difference could mean life or death.

The monsters weren’t so easy that one could fight them while wearing something like a hazmat suit.

In other words, the vanguard would scout. Once the main party finished hunting, the porters would mine the mana stones and clean up.

“An S-rank is really an S-rank. Doesn’t this hunt feel easy?”

one of the party members spoke up.

With an S-rank tanker blocking the mobs at the front, the hunters following behind were in a position to slaughter them one-sidedly.

At first, they had cursed the guild’s business team for picking a poisonous insect nest, but now they thought differently.

That was how unparalleled Seol Ji-hoon’s presence was.

“If an S-rank is that strong, just how powerful is the Courier?”

The Courier, who had single-handedly sliced up a boss that multiple S-ranks couldn’t handle.

Watching Seol Ji-hoon block enemy attacks with his unbreakable shield of light, then push back and crush them, people swallowed nervously.

It was impossible to even imagine.

“He was really nothing special at first.”

The man who said this was Kim Chang-ryeol, a former special forces member who had interviewed alongside Hyunbin.

Their starting lines had been different.

He was an elite who had undergone professional training to become a hunter, while Hyunbin had been a nobody with no accomplishments until the age of thirty.

But now, the tables had completely turned.

Hyunbin had become a superstar, while he was just a substitute party member in the Tushin Guild.

A substitute party member was exactly what it sounded like.

A position to fill in vacancies whenever they appeared, without being an official member of the party.

Things had gone wrong from the very first button.

It was great to become a member of the Tushin Guild, but having become a hunter at the same time as that Lee Hyunbin meant he was constantly compared to him.

In the end, he was undervalued because of him.

“Still, they said our rank-up speed is on the faster side.”

Go Ha-sol, his Tushin Guild peer, said from beside him.

“What’s so great about being B-rank? I heard Lee Hyunbin is at least an SS-rank.”

Kim Chang-ryeol said, scowling deeply.

Go Ha-sol, she was also a B-rank. But unlike him, she was a B-rank all-rounder.

Being multi-talented, even as a substitute, she participated in many more raids. Thanks to that, there was a huge gap between her salary and his.

“This world is full of people who suddenly get a chance and become drastically stronger. You’re doing well now, so an opportunity will come soon.”

“Well, if there is a god, I guess he’ll give me a chance someday.”

Kim Chang-ryeol felt comforted by Go Ha-sol’s words.

Ever since he was a teenager, he had watched the heroes of the Cataclysm and dreamed of becoming one of them.

But now, he was adrift, facing the gap between that dream and reality.

The joint battle at the unprecedented Gate—a battle he hadn’t even been able to participate in.

Lee Hyunbin’s performance there was said to have been incredible. It was safe to say that almost everyone who participated in that battle became a fan of his.

“Then again, even guys like that walk around calling themselves hunters.”

Kim Chang-ryeol was talking about the porters.

He didn’t particularly like porters. They only had an inventory ability, and all they did was shoot crossbows from the back or mine mana stones.

It hurt his pride that such grunts were treated as hunters, the same as an elite like himself.

“Chang-ryeol, you shouldn’t talk like that.”

“I’m not wrong, am I? To think even a porter can call themselves an awakened hunter.”

Go Ha-sol was troubled by his aggressive tone.

They were probably too far away to hear, but it was still wrong to belittle people who were working hard.

A raid team was like a giant organism; it could only move safely and precisely when everyone performed their role.

Without porters, supplies wouldn’t be properly managed. Their role was by no means small.

“We’re entering the boss area now! A demonic magnetic field is interfering with accurate scouting, so maintain a vigilant watch on all sides!”

At the main scout leader’s words, everyone began to move in perfect order.

***

Upon entering the boss field, the insects that had been hiding until now began to pour out all at once.

Human-sized caterpillars suddenly descended from above on threads, chewing on someone’s head.

Another creature lay on the ground as if dead, then abruptly lunged and tore at someone’s ankle.

A chaotic battle erupted, and the screams of the injured rang out.

“Aegis.”

Seol Ji-hoon unleashed countless shields of light in all directions.

The insects’ bodies were torn apart under the chaotic rain of light shields, spilling their bodily fluids.

He smashed the insects against the walls or struck them down, turning them into pulp one by one.

“Everyone, group up! Fight back-to-back!”

Five minutes into the battle.

There were more insects than expected.

The giant, writhing insects crawled over the corpses of their kin, shooting threads from their mouths.

“Aaaaaah!”

A man hit by a larva’s thread screamed in terror as he found himself unable to move.

Fortunately, a comrade was nearby to cut the thread, allowing him to escape the crisis.

The initial surprise attack had produced a stream of casualties, but befitting the 3rd-ranked guild, Tushin quickly regained its stability.

Ten minutes into the battle.

The number of insects wasn’t decreasing. Seeing the monsters pour out as if in a Zerg rush, the raid leader furrowed his brow.

They had to retreat.

The exact number of enemies was still unknown.

There were no fatalities, but the number of injured was slowly increasing. At this rate, the raid might end in failure.

“All units, with—!”

“There’s no need to retreat.”

“…Ji-hoon.”

The raid leader stopped mid-command when Seol Ji-hoon interjected.

“I’ll go take care of the boss.”

The boss room was just inside.

If only the boss died, the minions would naturally scatter.

The reason they were fighting to the death was because their boss was in there.

“B-But a 3-star boss, all by yourself…”

“A 3-star is no problem for me.”

Would he have tried to stop the Hero if he had said he would hunt it alone?

Seol Ji-hoon knew the raid leader meant no harm, but his pride still stirred.

“Damn it, alright! Everyone, clear a path so Ji-hoon can enter the boss room!”

At the raid leader’s command, the other hunters moved without question.

The insects’ bodily fluids splattered everywhere.

The party members would gradually grow exhausted; killing the boss quickly was the only solution.

While his comrades held the line, Seol Ji-hoon entered the boss zone.

Inside, a giant poisonous insect with open eyes was raising its body.

It had an earthworm-like appearance, with horrifying tentacles sprouting from all over its body. No, those weren’t tentacles—they were human arms.

As the grotesque monster opened its mouth, a disgusting, rotten stench wafted out, revealing a palate densely packed with teeth.

-Help me, help me…!

Even now, if he closed his eyes, the events of that day would replay.

The mages who invaded the city had unleashed all sorts of explosive weapons, slaughtering the people.

Skilled mages and knights in steel-forged armor were all meaningless.

“Armor of Light.”

Light enveloped his entire body, briefly forming the shape of armor before dispersing.

A poisonous mist spewed from the insect’s body.

It was certainly a good thing he hadn’t brought his comrades.

If anyone else had been hit by that poisonous mist, their bodies would have melted away.

“Aegis, Twin Driver.”

That wasn’t to say he was having an easy time either.

He brought out a shield of light and a sword of light with two blades intertwined like snakes.

The battle began immediately.

The hand-like tentacles sprouting from the poisonous insect’s body poured out in countless numbers.

Seol Ji-hoon melted the tentacles with his Twin Driver.

*Sizzle!*

The insect’s flesh sizzled, creating more poisonous mist.

The poison was so potent that he could feel it seeping in despite his Armor of Light.

Symptoms of poisoning, like his esophagus closing up.

“Dot Healing.”

A flashing light on his body restored both his stamina and HP.

“Aegis.”

He advanced, blocking the creature’s tentacles with his shield of light.

“Aegis.”

Just as the shield of light’s durability ran out and it vanished, a new shield took its place.

“Aegis!”

A harder, more powerful shield of light was forged.

The more it broke.

When hunters awaken, they all gain an ability.

Upon awakening, Seol Ji-hoon had obtained a shield that grew stronger. This ability was so much like himself.

In the ruins left behind by the 100 mages who had burned and destroyed everything.

He had survived in those ruins.

He had covered his mouth until the backs of the 100 mages disappeared. Thanks to that, he wasn’t discovered.

He bit his lip, tasting the metallic tang of blood, and crawled as if running.

Ahead, and further ahead.

Heal.

He cast a healing spell on his younger sibling, who had reached out a hand, begging to be saved.

Heal, once more.

A faint light flickered.

The hand, which had long since fallen limp, no longer held any warmth.

He sobbed.

The reason he had chosen the path of a cleric in that other world was to heal his sick family with his own power.

Of course, that was meaningless now.

“Aegis!”

The shield of light erupted in a brilliant glow, pinning the poisonous insect against the wall.

As multiple layers of Aegis stuck to it, the poisonous insect writhed in agony.

Seol Ji-hoon poured all his magic into the struggling insect.

*Szzzt! Sizzle!*

Seol Ji-hoon’s Twin Driver pierced and tore through the poisonous insect’s body.

The insect thrashed, trying to break free, but it was already pinned to the wall and couldn’t move.

Seol Ji-hoon spat a mouthful of black blood onto the floor.

It was a good thing he was recovering with Dot Healing; otherwise, he might have already collapsed.

-You have successfully hunted Valekan.

Fortunately, the poisonous insect was the first to die.

Seol Ji-hoon steadied his breath.

Experience points flowed in, and several level-up messages appeared.

Now that the minions had lost their master, they would retreat.

*Rumble, Cruuumble!*

A dungeon that didn’t originally exist in this world. When the boss, the core that sustained it, died, the dungeon began to rapidly lose its form.

Normally, a dungeon would remain stable for at least five to ten minutes before naturally disappearing.

“Ji-hoon, get out of there!”

“You go first.”

Seol Ji-hoon replied to the raid leader.

Boulders began to fall near the entrance to the boss room.

“Hey!”

With the raid leader’s shout, the entrance to the boss room collapsed.

That man is such a meddler.

With Aegis, he was more durable than anyone.

Who was he to worry about him?

It wasn’t that he disliked all modern people, but.

“But I do dislike you.”

In the empty boss room.

Something was slowly taking shape.

There stood a person wearing a bear mask with a reddish tint.

Even without such a ridiculous appearance, he knew who it was.

“Hey, you too?”

He had expected this wouldn’t just be overlooked.

Yesterday he had been so nervous, but strangely, he wasn’t trembling today.