At the same time, a system message appeared.
[A second terrain boss monster has been detected.]
[Due to the threat of the boss monster, your attack and defense power will be drastically reduced.]
[This effect does not apply to you.]
Kuuuuuuur—
A bizarre sound echoed as a purple monster emerged from behind the group of monsters.
The third boss monster appeared in the central area, leading a massive horde of monsters.
"Everyone, prepare for attack! Assault team, move forward! The tanks will halt the charge, and the healers will support the assault team! Injured personnel, retreat to the rear!"
Do Deungsoo urgently directed the operation.
"Soo Jaehee, take the west, and Yelena, you take the east!"
"What about the boss monster?"
"Since this is a high ground, the boss monster is still far away. We'll use artillery to stop its advance, so for now, eliminate the monsters on both sides."
"Understood!"
"Got it!"
Soo Jaehee and Yelena scattered to their respective sides. The boss monster was slowly climbing toward them from the north. Its massive size made it appear closer than it was, but it was still a distance away.
Boom! Bang!
The horde of monsters smashed down the S-rank shield traps with their heavy front paws and rammed into them one by one, causing them to collapse. The Revengers fired artillery to halt the monsters' advance. There were no armored vehicles since it was a remote-controlled operation.
While buying time with artillery fire, the combat hunters drank mana potions and made their final preparations.
The moment the last shield trap fell, they launched a coordinated attack. The hunters charged at the monsters, using their signature moves.
The full-scale battle had begun.
['Soo Jaehee' summons
In the west, Soo Jaehee mounted the back of a giant cat while wielding the 'Heavenly Sword.' The cat swiped at the monsters with its front paws, effortlessly killing them, and it took no damage from the monsters' poison. Soo Jaehee, perched on top, swung the sword radiating a crimson light, brutally slicing through the monsters.
['Yelena Ivanov' uses the skill
In the east, a pile of stones summoned from below the swamp crushed the monsters beneath them.
The south was blocked by a swamp that even monsters couldn't cross…
The boss monster was to the north. Soo Jaehee and Yelena were slowly heading toward the boss monster while dealing with the other monsters, but their pace was too slow. Yoon Seo suspected that the boss monster would reach the campsite before they did.
[The God of Life advises that you shouldn't expect much help from the two.]
For some reason, the God of Life offered advice. Yoon Seo dashed north without hesitation.
Kraaaah!
Boom!
The massive monster's thick front paw crushed a tank and an armored vehicle. Yoon Seo didn't waste mana protecting vehicles that no one was riding. They were about to exit the swamp, so he had fulfilled that role effectively and caused considerable destruction. Humanity's weapons had already taken revenge for the past ten years.
Bang! Bang! Amid the explosions, Yoon Seo saw people covered in blood fighting.
"Uaaagh!"
"Die! You monsters!"
The Revengers were putting their all into the battle. Looking ahead, Yoon Seo saw the boss monster advancing, melting even its minions. If all the swamps of this area were gathered together, would they form such a grotesque and horrifying sight?
[Mana 2001/9999]
'I'll have to use
It was a wide-area skill, but since he was a good distance from the boss monster, he thought he could control the area well enough to avoid hitting his allies. Controlling was the area Yoon Seo was most confident in.
Determined, Yoon Seo charged fiercely.
While charging, he spotted a monster about to attack a Revenger who had fallen on his backside and immediately killed it with his 'Existing Spirit.' As soon as that was done, he noticed another monster targeting a Revenger from behind and threw a dagger, piercing its head. In the past, he would have had to go pick it up, but now he could release the item and pull it directly from his inventory.
As Yoon Seo slaughtered the monsters, he advanced toward the boss monster.
Grrrrrr.
A huge purple slime creature appeared before him. The boss seemed to sense Yoon Seo's unusual energy and turned its gaze toward him.
Kill them in one fell swoop.
Yoon Seo summoned his magic power. At that moment…
"Hahhh!"
"Uagh, die!"
The shouts echoing from all around made Yoon Seo stop using his skill. Why were they so close?
Looking around, he realized that the Revengers were nearby.
Yoon Seo was taken aback.
How had the people who were supposed to be behind him made it all the way here…?
Before he could ponder this further, he understood the reason. The A-rank and lower hunters had followed him through the path he had cleared.
'Hah.'
Ten years ago, even when he advanced alone, there had been no one following him. They lacked the ability to follow properly, even if he had cleared a path.
But now, that was not the case. The Revengers bravely followed him, defeating the monsters in their way.
They shouldn't have been following him. Yoon Seo tried to use a wide-area attack skill, but he couldn't because of their presence.
'What should I do?'
Should he use 20% of his mana to create a shield to protect them or use an attack skill to take down the boss monster?
While he was in deep thought, the body of the boss monster began to shake.
Grrr!
"Everyone, take cover!"
Despite his confusion, Yoon Seo shouted loudly. Fortunately, the Revengers followed his command and jumped out of the way just in time. A purple slime blob that the boss monster spat out landed where they had just been. The monsters within a 10-meter radius melted away without even having time to scream.
"Ugh!"
Some of the Revengers screamed, possibly splattered by the bodily fluids. They had to face the attacking monsters without even the chance to assess their own condition. Yoon Seo shouted again.
"All A-rank and lower hunters, retreat towards the camp!"
"But if we do that, only Hunter Seo Chaeyoon will be left here!"
"Shut up and retreat quickly!"
"What are you planning to do alone? Let's fight together!"
"We'll take care of the minions!"
"We'll help you, Seo Chaeyoon!"
The Revengers didn't listen to him. Who had shouted, "What are you planning to do alone?" It was Lee Jungin.
Everyone's face was desperate and fierce.
Their expressions were filled with fear of death, so if he told them to retreat, wouldn't it make sense for them to run away?
Why wasn't anyone fleeing?
Why were they trying to fight alongside him?
Yoon Seo felt strange.
He couldn't pinpoint what emotion it was, but it was clear that it wasn't a good one.
At that moment, the boss monster once again vomited a mass of slime.
Grrr.
"Uagh!"
The intelligent boss monster spat the slime at the place where the Revengers were clustered together, not at Yoon Seo.
Yoon Seo witnessed the shield protecting the C-rank hunter melting away. The name of that hunter was Ariadne, who Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan had included on their final list. Next to her, five or six others awaited their deaths with wide eyes. Ridiculously, among them was an injured person. Clearly, Do Deungsoo had instructed the injured to fall back, but they had ignored him and charged forward.
Yoon Seo knew all their names as well. In that moment, unfolding in slow motion, just as Yoon Seo was about to deploy his shield, it happened.
['Hwashim' uses the skill
The mass of slime from the boss monster transformed into flames in mid-air and oxidized.
The survivors, who had just barely managed to stay alive, looked back at Yoon Seo with astonished eyes. There stood Hwashim. The boss monster seemed intent on not giving anyone time to comprehend the situation, as it continued to spew out blobs of slime.
[Using the skill
This time, Yoon Seo used a skill to protect the Revengers. In the brief moment of respite, Yoon Seo shouted.
"Everyone, retreat! I'm going to use a wide-area skill!"
"Go ahead! The wide-area skill has a casting time, right? We'll cover you!"
These crazy bastards. Yoon Seo cursed inwardly as he locked eyes with Hwashim. Hwashim was surrounded by a fierce aura.
"Seo Chaeyoon. What's your mana status?"
"Didn't you hear me say to lead the people away? I'm going to use a wide-area skill."
"If you enter a state of mana depletion, everyone will be in danger. It's better to fight together."
"Just with a C-rank?"
"Ahem."
Hwashim cleared his throat.
"Actually, I'm not a C-rank—"
"Even if you say you're an S-rank, you wouldn't have the ability to crush the boss in the first phase."
"I'm not suggesting we attack. I'm saying we should hold on and wait for Soo Jaehee and Hunter Yelena."
"People will die while we wait."
"They all came prepared to face death. They didn't come here just to receive your protection bravely."
"I don't understand. Is it acceptable to die just because you're prepared for it? Can you die just because you're brave?"
At Yoon Seo's sharp voice, Hwashim flinched and couldn't say anything.
"Ha, damn it."
Yoon Seo swore in a moment of rising anger. That anger was directed not at Hwashim, but at himself.
I have no right to say such things. Hwashim had saved people while continuing to work as a mercenary, while I had lived for ten years turning a blind eye to those who had bravely faced death.
He felt anger at his own shame.
As Yoon Seo spat out harsh curses, Hwashim was taken aback, wondering if Yoon Seo had already entered a state of mana depletion.
Ignoring him, Yoon Seo turned away.
Fine, let's do both.
Let's protect them and take down the boss.
[Using the skill
Yoon Seo deployed the shield. It was the wide-area skill he had used to block the damage from the self-destruct bomb at the Yangpyeong item market last time. It included not only the nearby Revengers but also Yelena and Soo Jaehee, who were fiercely fighting and advancing, and it cut off the threat before the boss monster.