Chapter 90: Raid Dungeon (7)

“Cough!”

Cartman spat out blood. If he hadn’t instinctively shielded himself, the attack would have been fatal. The mercenaries gasped in horror.

“Cartman!”

“What the hell?!”

“Kyaahh,”

the monster roared.

The mercenaries realized that the boss they thought they had subdued was laughing at them.

“Pitiful...” The boss spoke, but it wasn’t the language of humans. It was an unnatural distortion of a beast’s cry, twisted until it mimicked human speech. “Insects...”

Rumble.

Chains snapped and fell to the ground, and the pillars sank into the floor. The gaping wound in the boss’s chest, inflicted during the battle, began to close. The Dungeon’s structure—its very mechanics—were changing.

“Mana...,” Cartman said as his pupils dilated. The Dungeon’s mana wavered and the density skyrocketed, filling the entire space before they could even react. “The mana levels are shifting!”

In an instant, the Dungeon’s mana had more than doubled. At this concentration, this wasn’t just an A-Rank Dungeon anymore.

This is an AAA-Rank Dungeon!

Cartman thought.

“Kyuaah!”

The boss grinned, its now-free arms moving with ease.

Boom!

With just a simple swing, the mercenaries were blown away. Those in its trajectory were slammed into the walls, their heads smashing into the ground as they collapsed. Everything was crumbling, and they were being utterly overwhelmed.

“Ugh!”

Cartman barely managed to stay conscious, throwing himself forward. He dashed toward the monster at full speed.

The monster chuckled, as if amused by his feeble attempt. Raising one arm, it casually flicked a finger. Cartman’s sword met its fingertip.

Clang!

“Guh!”

That single touch sent Cartman skidding backward. The sheer impact rattled his entire body. He swallowed down the blood rising in his throat.

What kind of power is this?!

Cartman was an A-Rank mercenary. His strength verged on inhuman—a warrior of the highest caliber, capable of wielding Aura with mastery.

Before the Dungeon had changed, he had managed to block the boss’s attacks without much difficulty. Now, even for someone of his caliber, just defending against its casual swipes felt impossible. Unless one was a Transcendent or higher, there was no way of defeating this powerful monster.

“Argh!!”

Even as Cartman struggled, the mercenaries continued to be swept away. Gritting his teeth, Cartman lunged forward once more.

Annoyed, the boss swung its arm again. It wasn’t even moving particularly fast, yet its speed left afterimages in the air.

Boom!

Cartman narrowly dodged, but the shockwave alone sent his body reeling. He bit his lip.

Did the Dungeon... lure us in?

This AAA-Rank Dungeon had disguised itself as an A-Rank one, tricking people into entering.

Is that even possible? No, that shouldn’t be possible,

Cartman contemplated. However, he couldn’t deny what was happening right before his eyes.

This is too dangerous. I need to tell people outside!

As he made up his mind to warn the people in the capital, the boss turned its gaze toward him. A chill ran down Cartman’s spine. It was as if the boss had

read

his intentions. Then, it smiled.

Before he could react, its massive form was suddenly right in front of him. Desperately, Cartman raised his sword but it was futile. The boss’s fist smashed through his guard and struck him directly.

“ARGH!”

Blood spurted from his mouth as Cartman crumpled to the ground. He was sure that this monster had understood his thoughts and responded accordingly.

Someone needs to warn the outside world...

That was his last thought before his consciousness faded.

“Kyaaah!”

Amidst the bodies of fallen mercenaries, the monster laughed.

***

Nearly all the mercenaries lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious. The only ones still aware were Ketal’s party, huddled against the wall, trembling uncontrollably. It wasn’t due to some special power or strategy they had uncovered—it was pure chance.

They had simply been standing farther away from the boss when it broke free. And so, they had witnessed everything.

“W-what is this?” Geinalt muttered.

The Dungeon had suddenly shifted. The boss they had believed to be defeated had broken its restraints and, in an instant, became overwhelmingly powerful, tearing through the mercenaries like they were nothing.

“

Huff...Huff...

” Marcy struggled to breathe. The sheer density of mana pressing down on her was suffocating, far too much for a mage like her to withstand.

“Why did the Dungeon’s difficulty suddenly change?!” Geinalt shouted.

“You mean to say you didn’t know either?” Ketal muttered, intrigued. “It’s like a hidden phase, perhaps.”

“Hidden what?”

“You don’t know about this?”

A hidden phase was like a concealed pattern that only emerged when specific conditions were met or when a Dungeon’s difficulty reached a certain threshold. Against Raid Dungeon bosses like this, it was a common occurrence. Ketal had encountered this countless times in fantasy games back on Earth

Hearing this, Geinalt snapped in frustration, his voice barely restrained. “Common? What the hell do you mean,

common

?”

Geinalt had never even heard of such a thing.

“If something like a hidden phase existed, what’s the point of assessing a Dungeon’s difficulty?” Geinalt shouted. “It would make more sense to send the most powerful mercenaries for all of the Dungeons!”

No one in their right mind would walk into a Dungeon unprepared when some unknown factor could turn it into a deathtrap.

“Hm, maybe you’re right,” Ketal admitted, considering Geinalt’s words. This wasn’t some game he was playing back on earth—this was reality.

Here, a hidden phase wasn’t an exciting surprise—it was a terrifying, lethal unknown. Realizing yet another stark difference between fiction and reality, Ketal’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.

“How lucky am I to witness something like this in my very first Raid Dungeon,” Ketal mused.

“Lucky? Did you just say lucky? Are you out of your freaking mind?!” Geinalt couldn’t hold back any longer and shouted furiously.

***

“Kyaaaah...”

The satisfied boss let out a chilling laugh as it slowly advanced toward the remaining humans.

They recoiled in terror, pressing themselves against the wall, but there was nowhere left to retreat. Clearly amused by their fear, the boss smiled as if a child playing with toys. It took its time approaching, deliberately dragging out the moment to heighten their horror.

Just then, it noticed something. Among the trembling humans, one stood out. Unlike the others, a large man was not afraid. Instead of cowering, he was watching the boss with interest, even tilting his head slightly as if studying it.

“You’re really big.” Ketal’s eyes roamed over the creature, intrigued.

Its tail isn’t that of a fish, but a snake... Would this be considered a chimera?

Ketal wondered. The monster had a single massive eye, four muscular arms, and a serpentine lower body, which all fascinated Ketal.

However, the boss did not like the way Ketal was looking at it. Humans were supposed to fear it. They were supposed to tremble, be consumed by terror, and flee. They were

not

supposed to stare at it with calm curiosity.

“Kyaa...”

The boss made a decision to break this human. It wanted to instill fear in that composed expression, starting with his limbs.

The boss reached out, its massive hand enveloping Ketal entirely. His figure disappeared within the monstrous grip.

The other party members gasped and squeezed their eyes shut, unwilling to witness the inevitable.

The boss applied pressure—light at first, so as not to crush him too entirely. The right balance was necessary. It wanted to hear the satisfying crunch of breaking bones, to savor the scream of agony that would follow.

However, nothing happened.

“Kyaa?”

The boss wondered if it hadn’t used enough force. It tightened its grip further.

Still, nothing happened. Confused, it squeezed even harder. Frustration mounting, the boss increased its strength to near its full power. Yet, there was no satisfying sound—no scream, no

anything

.

“Kyaaaah!”

Irritated, the boss prepared to slam Ketal into the ground. Suddenly, its massive body soared through the air.

“Kya?”

For a split second, the boss didn’t understand what was happening. It wondered why it was flying. The thought vanished as its enormous frame slammed into the ceiling.

Boom!

“Kyaaah!”

The impact sent it crashing back to the ground, roaring in pain.

And standing exactly where he had been before, completely unscathed, was Ketal.

“Huh?” The party members, bracing for a gruesome sight, opened their eyes in shock. “What just happened?”

“Why are you guys surprised?” Ketal asked.

“Ketal... didn’t you say you cannot wield Myst?” Geinalt asked.

“I can’t,” Ketal replied flatly.

“Uh...” Geinalt then realized that Ketal had said he couldn’t wield Myst, but he had never said he was weak.

“Move the unconscious mercenaries, will you? It would be quite unfair if they were crushed under that thing’s weight,” Ketal ordered.

“A-alright.” Almost instinctively, Geinalt nodded.

“Kyaaaa!”

The boss staggered to its feet, confusion flashing in its massive eye. It could not believe that a human had just thrown it. For the first time, caution crept into its gaze.

It could sense that something was wrong, and without hesitation, it swung its fist.

Boom!

The Dungeon’s only exit collapsed, sealing them inside. Rocks tumbled down, blocking any escape.

Ketal whistled. “That’s a smart move.”

Until now, the boss hadn’t destroyed the passage, because it had always been confident it could eliminate anyone who tried to flee. But this time, it had sealed the exit, a clear sign that it believed Ketal could escape.

It’s actually thinking,

Ketal analyzed.

Ketal hadn’t done anything to help out the mercenaries while they were being wiped out because none of them had actually died.

“Looks like it needs them alive. Trying to use them to enhance itself, maybe?” Ketal said as he chuckled.

Understanding a Dungeon boss’s objective was an essential step in figuring out how to defeat it. The boss did not like Ketal’s laughter.

“Kyaah!”

With a flick of its tail, it lunged forward, its enormous body accelerating toward Ketal like a cannonball.

Watching the charge, Ketal muttered to himself, “Pattern hasn’t changed much, huh.”

Crunch

.

The next moment, the boss’s body was hurled across the room, slamming violently into the far wall.

“Kyaaah!”

Undeterred, it roared and charged again.

Ketal easily sidestepped, his footwork precise. A shriek of frustration echoed as the boss struggled to keep up.

“It seems like it’s immune to physical damage,” Ketal noted. “Was it always like that, or is this a new gimmick?”

Ketal grinned, genuinely entertained. The boss staggered, panting. It had no choice but to acknowledge that this human was far stronger than itself.

However, the boss was the Dungeon’s master. It was built with an absolute rule—unless defeated in the proper manner, it could not die and it could not be harmed.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Determined, the boss let out a deafening roar, coiling its tail before launching forward, all four of its fists swinging at once. It was the monster’s ultimate attack.

Despite the mighty attack, it was stopped by Ketal’s single outstretched palm.

“Oops.” Ketal gripped the boss’s arm and threw it. Once again, the creature crashed to the ground, groaning in pain.

However, it refused to surrender. It lunged once again, wrapping its tail around Ketal, squeezing tightly. Then, it lifted him into the air, preparing to slam him down with all its might.

“Kya?”

Something felt wrong. The tail wouldn’t move. No matter how much force it applied, it refused to budge, as if caught in an unseen grip.

Then, the boss flew once more. Ketal had simply thrown it by its tail.

“Kya!”

Scrambling to get up, the monster rushed at him again.

However, Ketal was simply smiling. “Yeah, it wouldn’t be any fun if I could defeat you with physical power.”

Ketal didn’t want to simply defeat the boss—he wanted to solve the Dungeon.

Sure, it’s fun to work as a team and clear a Raid Dungeon together, but there’s something thrilling about figuring it all out by myself.

Facing a Dungeon boss head-on without any prior information was a challenge in itself. Observing its abilities and attack patterns, analyzing them carefully, and gradually breaking them down—there was something incredibly thrilling about it.

“Now then, how should I go about this?” Ketal muttered to himself, a grin forming on his lips.