[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
Chapter 28: Crimson Ambush (1)
Thick darkness, devoid of even a single speck of light.
【Master, are you alright?】
"This is nothing."
Yoojin looked around the pitch-black cave without a hint of panic.
A whitish energy shimred in his vision.
He coated his retinas with Spirit Power, like a thin film, allowing him to see through the darkness.
Thud!
A Skeleton erged from the Ring of Darkness.
It was the first real battle for the defense-specialized undead created from the Orc chieftain's corpse.
"Ti to earn your keep."
"Gek gekkek."
The Skeleton Guard rattled its jawbone in response.
【I'll take the vanguard.】
"I'll be counting on you, Great Warrior."
Thump- Thump—
Fafnir's footsteps echoed loudly through the cave.
Provoked by the vibrations, a monster appeared from the opposite direction.
[Red Sli]
A body made of crimson sli.
A Sli, a monster with nothing but an appetite to devour and dissolve anything, slid across the floor and slowly approached.
【I've never seen that color before.】
"It can even lt steel."
Its danger rating was 3 Stars.
Physical attacks without mana infusion were practically useless against it.
And armor without Enhancent Circuits would lt within seconds of contact.
【So we just have to sit back and watch while facing the enemy?】
"It does have one more weakness."
Yoojin stretched out his index finger, pointing at the Red Sli's body.
A sphere slightly larger than a ping-pong ball was buried in the middle of the crimson liquid.
"When it tries to hunt, it spreads out all of its sli."
【So you're saying we should destroy the core at that mont.】
"The Red Sli only exposes its weakness for 0.1 seconds."
【That's not a difficult task.】
Without a mont's hesitation, Fafnir approached the Red Sli.
Spreading—
The mont the hemispherical Red Sli stretched out like an unfolded blanket...
【Haaa!】
His outstretched hand plunged into the crimson sli.
Khwaash!
With a sound like a heavy stone dropped into a lake, the Red Sli's body exploded.
Red liquid splattered everywhere.
Parts of the cave lted, and acrid smoke rose with a sizzling sound.
"You sure have a knack for timing."
【I told you, it wouldn't be difficult.】
Fafnir, who had been sneering, suddenly wavered.
【Slis don't leave corpses behind.】
"That's right."
【Then your necromancy would be useless here.】
"I can't do much with sli corpses."
If the lack of corpses was a problem, he would have raised the guys he killed before entering the Gate as undead.
【Then why did you enter empty-handed?】
"Because I don't need them."
- Zombie
- Plague Zombie
- Skeleton
- Armored Zombie
This was the list of undead Yoojin could create without prior preparation.
Skeletons?
They would lt in a matter of seconds if they dived into the Red Sli.
Zombies would last about 10 seconds.
Armored Zombies reinforced with Bone Armor, maybe 30 seconds?
Yoojin chuckled and took off the Shadow Mask.
[The Dark Vision curse has been removed.]
[Curses stored in the Shadow Mask - 4/5]
He erased the already engraved curse.
And with the whitish energy concentrated at his fingertips, he engraved another curse.
[The Dark Calling curse has been registered in the Shadow Mask.]
[19 durability consud.]
Dark Calling
Category: Curse
Rank: D
Subjugates a soul and imbues it with the power of death. A soul subjected to Dark Calling becos a Specter.
"Co here."
He called out in a powerful voice, and the Sli's soul flew to Yoojin's side.
The whitish energy consud the translucent spirit.
Stained with Spirit Power, it gradually turned black.
[Specter created.]
- Hee hee hee!
An eerie laughter filled with a sinister aura.
The Sli's soul, captured by Dark Calling, beca a Specter.
【But what are you going to use this Specter for?】
"Debuffs and continuous damage."
Didn't you get nightmares or stiff shoulders when you slept in a place with a strong flow of negative energy?
Specters were similar.
They possessed living beings and infused them with negative energy.
They could stiffen the body, disrupt senses, or inflict damage with their spiritual power.
【Quite versatile for a re Specter.】
Yoojin didn't answer and just grinned, his expression a bit twisted.
As they ventured deeper, three Red Slis suddenly appeared.
- Hee hee hee!
Without even being instructed, the Specter darted forward and seeped into the red sli.
[Specter possesses Red Sli.]
[Strength, Agility decreased by 2%.]
[Exhaustion Lv. 1 inflicted.]
Fafnir's jaw dropped.
【That's... a debuff?】
"More like jack of all trades, master of none."
【What a waste of Spirit Power.】
"The one good thing is that the debuffs stack."
Yoojin could control up to 20 undead.
If he filled those slots with Specters, they might actually be useful.
"Until the number of Specters increases, I'll need you to work hard."
Bam! Bam!
With each punch, a Red Sli exploded.
"Co here."
One by one, the souls of the Red Slis submitted to Yoojin's power and transford into Specters.
[Strength, Agility decreased by 15%.]
[Exhaustion Lv. 8 inflicted.]
[Confusion Lv. 9 inflicted.]
【Now it's finally becoming sowhat useful.】
Fafnir easily hunted the Red Slis, who were now disoriented and weakened.
＊ ＊ ＊
Yoojin and his party continued deeper into the cave.
There was only one path.
To complete the Gate conquest, they had to break through the Red Spider group that had preceded them.
【It seems it won't be easy to just conquer the Gate and leave.】
"Well, I expected that."
After about two hours of walking, a fluorescent-like light shimred from the other side.
It was light generated by magic.
【A corner in the passage. This is a bit troubleso.】
Fafnir grumbled in a worried tone.
The source of the light was inside the cave, which bent at a right angle.
They didn't know how many Red Spider mbers were mining bloodstones there.
Kronos, who had been observing the situation, burst into laughter.
〔(Cackle)! It seems even my contractor doesn't know everything about this place!〕
'Even if I've returned, I don't know everything.'
Yoojin sent five Specters towards the shimring light.
The mont the group of whitish spirits turned the corner...
An orange light flickered for a mont.
BOOM! A loud explosion shook the entire cave.
[4 Specters destroyed.]
The spirits vanished simultaneously, exactly 3 seconds after entering the corner.
One survived, but another orange light flashed, and it t the sa fate as the others.
'The distance is about 100 ters. There are four magic-user Hunters.'
Judging by the firepower of the explosion, they were at the peak of 3 Stars.
Even for Fafnir, a 3 Star transcendent undead, being hit head-on more than three tis would be dangerous.
This ant that if the Red Spider's tank line was strong, they could be defeated before they even got close.
'In that case, I need to create a new variable.'
He had just reached level 30 by slaughtering the Red Slis.
It was ti to extract the knowledge he needed in this situation.
[Knowledge of Necromancy is engraved into the user's soul.]
[Bone Spear spell added.]
Bone Spear
Category: Magic
Rank: D
Envelops bones with Spirit Power and throws them in a straight line.
"Ugh."
Yoojin clutched his head and cursed.
【Are you alright?】
"Besides the damn pain..."
Hoo.
Yoojin took a deep breath and pushed away the pain.
Bone Spear and a group of Specters.
And Fafnir.
It was enough firepower to deal with the Red Spider group.
Yoojin, who had envisioned the battle in his head, smiled with satisfaction.
＊ ＊ ＊
Deep within the crimson lair...
The Red Spider group, stationed in front of the boss room, had finished their battle preparations.
"Which bastard dared to intrude?"
Jo Seungchul, the Hunter in charge of bloodstone mining, muttered in a chilling voice.
The Red Spider had deployed 10 people for bloodstone collection.
All of them were 3 Stars, the limit of a typical Hunter's growth, and...
He himself had received significant investnt from the Red Spider, recognized for his powerful unique ability and mana control.
With the synergy of his items, he could even temporarily match the firepower of a 4 Star magic-user Hunter.
"Try contacting them."
"No response."
An hour ago, an anomaly occurred.
Regular communication had been cut off.
'What kind of trouble is this, thanks to so reckless bastard who poked their head into the Red Spider's territory?'
Bloodstone was a powerful catalyst that amplified mana.
Thanks to the recent discovery of the Alchemist's job advancent route, the value of bloodstone had skyrocketed.
About 12 million won per 100 grams.
The red stones scattered throughout the [Crimson Lair] were more valuable than gold.
Jo Seungchul's mood plumted as a variable arose while they were raking in a hefty side inco.
"Whatever pops out, crush it."
As Jo Seungchul growled like a wild beast, the Red Spider Hunters' spirits were also heightened.
At that mont...
A Skeleton holding a bone shield entered the Red Spider group's view.
"Gek gekkek!"
Behind the Skeleton Guard, whitish specters shimred.
Several Specters spread out, confusing their vision.
"A Skeleton?"
"And Specters too. What are undead doing here?"
The magic-user Hunters didn't panic and channeled their mana.
Whatever erged from the cave...
The fact that everyone besides the Red Spider group was an enemy remained unchanged.
[Fla Beat]
[Fireball x 2]
[Red Bind]
Fragnted flas blocked the Specters' approach.
Crimson flas wrapped around the Skeleton Guard's ankles.
And from the front, a soccer ball-sized fireball hurtled towards it.
"Nowhere to run, bonehead!"
Jo Seungchul shouted.
[Iron Wall]
[Attack Absorption]
Thud!
The Skeleton planted its shield firmly on the ground and activated its defensive skills.
A green light deflected the trajectory of the fire magic, and it collided head-on with the bone shield. A massive explosion filled the passage with hot wind.
"G-Gek."
The Skeleton Guard withstood the barrage of magic in the narrow passage.
The large shield was more than halfway lted, and its jawbone was dislocated, perhaps from absorbing so of the explosion's energy with its body, but it still hadn't been destroyed.
【Well done, skeletal warrior.】
A large silhouette suddenly erged, leaping over the Skeleton Guard.
Fafnir kicked off the ground and quickly closed the distance with the Red Spider group.
"You stinking undead!"
Killing intent flickered in Jo Seungchul's eyes. He realized the Skeleton with the shield was a decoy.
[Quick Reload]
A unique trait that doubled mana consumption but reduced the delay after casting magic and increased recovering speed.
While the other magic-user Hunters were recovering their mana after the attack...
"Eat this and die!"
He was able to throw a second fireball in just one second.
The blazing fireball, amplified by various items, packed the power of a near 4 Star Hunter.
In a confined space like the [Crimson Lair]...
Even a 4 Star Hunter who could use Aura, if they were to be hit by this in an enclosed space where the explosion's energy had nowhere to escape, they would suffer severe burns.
"That explains why there was so little ti difference between the Specters' deaths."
A human voice echoed from the other side of the cave.
Yoojin, who had been hiding behind the bone shield, moved his lips.
[Using Bone Spear.]
Sothing wrapped in a whitish aura flew from the other side of the passage and collided head-on with the fireball.
Its speed was several tis faster than Bone Control.
Even though Yoojin had launched it the mont Jo Seungchul released his recovered mana, it flew in and intercepted the fireball at an even faster speed.
BOOM!
The fireball exploded earlier than intended.
As a fire magic spell focused on destructive power, its explosive energy radiated outwards, attempting to engulf even Fafnir, but...
Shing!
Yoojin rotated the Spirit Power he had imbued into the Bone Spear, pushing the explosive energy to the edges.
"He completely neutralized the Fireball's explosive energy?!"
Jo Seungchul was aghast.
If only he knew that Yoojin was a re 1 Star, what would his reaction be?
Although one of the [Cursed Fang] was destroyed as a price, they had succeeded in closing the most crucial 'distance'.
【Excellent, Master.】
Fafnir's cheek, which should have been stiff with rigor mortis, twitched.
A sneer, just like Yoojin's, spread across Fafnir's face.
Sparks of fury flickered in the eyes of the Red Spider gang.
"Do we look like scarecrows to you?"
"Kill him!"
Five Hunters, including the tank, brandished their weapons and blocked Fafnir's path.
The Red Spider gang was fully equipped with Rare rank gear.
They were fully prepared to defend the Crimson Lair.
It was a Gate that only allowed entry up to 3 Stars.
Most Hunters wouldn't even be able to reach the magic-user Hunters, let alone break through the defensive line; they would be cut down by the lee Hunters' blades.
[Dark Aura]
[Kenex Combat Arts]
[Seventh Stance]
[Ten-Strike Flurry]
Vroom!
Fafnir's Spirit Power resonated like the roar of a high-powered motorcycle.
It was the realm of imbuing energy with will and giving it form.
His fists, clad in a different form of Aura, rained down on the lee Hunters.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The Dark Aura covering his furiously thrown fists broke the Hunters' weapons and crumpled their steel armor.
"Aura!"
"A 4… 4 Star?!"
"What kind of Aura is that, for a non-Death Knight?!"
Two were instantly knocked down.
The remaining three lee Hunters kept their distance, wary of Fafnir.
"Sothing wrong?"
Yoojin's mocking voice echoed.
The thought that 'sothing was wrong' began to dawn on the Red Spider gang.
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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