Chapter 111. The Real Boss

"Go!"

"

Kyaaaah!

"

"

Kiieek!

"

With a single command, the Nagas surged forward without hesitation, throwing themselves into battle.

"Stop them! Don’t let them advance any further!"

Meanwhile, the opponent desperately tried to fend off the assault by commanding their own Nagas. Yet, it was obvious that their defenses would soon crumble. The difference in both numbers and strength was that massive.

Soon, a clear path was carved through the chaos of intertwined allies and enemies, leading directly toward the enemy's Nagaraja. Ashunaga sprang into action.

"No...!"

Whoosh!

Before the enemy leader could even finish screaming, his head hit the ground with a heavy thud.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

As the enemy Nagaraja collapsed, the battle between the Naga forces began to slow. One side erupted into victorious cheers, while the other dropped their weapons in defeat.

"From this moment on, this island is mine!"

With those words, Ashunaga's authority as the only remaining Nagaraja spread over the battlefield. The defeated Nagas fell to their knees. Moments ago, they had fought fiercely as enemies, but now, they had no choice but to acknowledge her as their leader.

Once the battlefield was cleared, Ashunaga gathered the Core and set out for her base. Behind her sled, hundreds of other sleds followed in a long line. She moved forward silently, never once looking back. To the Nagas behind her, all they could see was the commanding presence of their ruler's back.

In truth, Ashunaga was struggling to suppress a smirk. How she wanted to turn around and bask in the glory of her newfound power!

"

Hehe... hehe...

"

After absorbing Rixit’s forces, she was ready to embark on a full-scale conquest. Just a short while ago, such a feat would’ve been unimaginable. She, a low-ranking leader commanding no more than thirty Nagas, barely posed a threat among the Nagarajas.

How things had changed! Now, she was definitely the strongest Nagaraja, commanding hundreds of Nagas. With this power, her long-held dream of standing at the top of all Nagas seemed within reach.

Yet, one thing troubled her: the man who had orchestrated it all—the one who had urged her to kill Rixit and claim his Nagas to collect the Aether Cores for him. Even his name, strange and hard to pronounce, lingered unpleasantly in her mind.

What should I do with him?

How should she handle Kim Do-Joon in a way that would ensure her dominance, without provoking any rumors of weakness? Ashunaga pondered these questions all the way back to the island.

Upon arriving, she was greeted by the source of her dilemma.

"Oh, you're here," Ashunaga said.

"Looks like you’re doing a great job," Kim Do-Joon replied.

In that moment, a sudden realization hit her—she had to abide by this man. She hadn’t fully understood it before, but after conquering nearby islands, growing her forces, and sharpening her abilities as a leader, she could now sense it. The man before her was hiding a power far beyond her comprehension.

The saying was true for both humans and Nagas:

“the more you know, the more you see.”

"Did you bring the Aether Core?" Kim Do-Joon asked, his voice steady and expectant.

"Y-yes! I have it...

Ahem

, here it is."

For a split second, Ashunaga almost offered it up with both hands out of sheer instinct. However, she caught herself and used one hand instead, trying to appear casual.

As she handed it over, she stole a glance at Kim Do-Joon, worried that she offended him. The last thing she wanted was to look weak in front of her newly acquired subordinates. Due to this complex thought, her manner of speech became awkward.

"Good."

To her relief, Kim Do-Joon didn’t seem to care at all. He didn’t appear angry or even mildly annoyed, either. A small wave of relief washed over her.

Right, he’s not a Naga.

She began to dwell on the thought. In other words, her dream of standing above all Nagas didn’t involve him. Even if she submitted to him, it didn’t mean her ambitions were crushed.

"This isn’t the only one, is it?" Kim Do-Joon asked, his tone still calm but expectant.

"No, of course not. There are more stored elsewhere... I-I mean, yes, there are more.”

"Take me there.”

"Y-yes, of course.”

In the end, her attempts to maintain her dignity crumbled, and she spoke in a voice that sounded much too servile for her liking. She internally grimaced at how easily she caved in. Their previous encounters had left such a deep mark on her confidence.

Come on, pull yourself together!

Ashunaga reminded herself, trying to muster some courage.

Being subdued by a human doesn’t mean my dreams are over! If anything, they have only begun!

It was a small pep talk to herself, a way to regain her resolve.

Meanwhile, Kim Do-Joon, walking behind her, simply watched as she suddenly clenched her fist and whispered to herself. He was puzzled by her behavior.

What’s up with her?

***

After absorbing the Aether Cores that Ashunaga had gathered, Kim Do-Joon led the campaign to conquer the islands. He had a completely different approach from Ashunaga.

When Ashunaga took charge, she led her forces into battle, which could last anywhere from a single day to several days. Every conquest came at a steep price, with significant losses from both sides. This was a critical issue because in Naga warfare, enemy forces would eventually become part of her own after a victory, meaning every lost soldier was a double loss.

Kim Do-Joon, on the other hand, was efficient. He didn’t even need a large army. He’d storm straight into the heart of the island alone, behead the leader defending it, and break the Aether Core on the spot to claim the island.

[You have absorbed the energy of Ice Crystal.]

There were far fewer casualties among Nagas during his assaults. Although a few Nagas died, it was nothing compared to the loss in Ashunaga’s wars. Moreover, there were no losses among their own forces.

As a result, the number of Nagas joining Ashunaga's ranks grew far beyond what she had seen before.

"Great job!" Ashunaga exclaimed.

At some point, any frustration she had harbored toward Kim Do-Joon completely vanished. Naturally, since Nagaraja's strength was tied to the size of their forces, her power surged with every victory. Her newly-acquired strength couldn’t be compared to when she conquered islands on her own.

How could she be anything but satisfied? She even took it upon herself to handle the mundane tasks, like preparing meals, albeit all they ever ate was water and dried meat.

As she chewed on a piece of jerky, the sled began moving again. Behind her, Kim Do-Joon was lost in thought.

It’s tough to fully test out the Blood Chaser’s abilities...

Walter’s sword, which he’d copied, came with several abilities, but it wasn’t easy to assess them in action. The reason was because of the nature of its passives.

The Blood Chaser sword had several effects—aside from the basic ones that boosted attack power and stats, three effects stood out: one for offense, one for defense, and one for utility.

The offensive option allowed him to detonate his own blood. The defensive one created a shield made of blood to hide behind. However, the utility option, which Kim Do-Joon had chosen, absorbed the blood of his enemies to the sword to enhance his healing capabilities for a limited time.

He wasn’t lacking in attack power, and he had an Invincible Body for defense. Therefore, just in case the Invincible Body lost its effect, boosting the healing capabilities seemed to be the best option.

[Passive: Blood Form]

[The more enemy’s blood you are covered in, the greater your healing ability. Maximum level of increase: 50%. Duration: 15 seconds.]

This passive not only synergized well with his Superior Regeneration effect but also complemented the abilities of Healers like Siwelin and others.

He tested this passive while continuing to conquer island after island, gathering some useful insights.

Although the healing boost only lasted 15 seconds, it could essentially be maintained indefinitely during battle. To avoid getting covered in enemy blood during combat was almost impossible, after all.

When it came to blood splatter, the healing boost was small, only 1-2%. But it wasn’t a huge issue. By the time he really needed healing, the fight would’ve already progressed enough to give him the full 50% boost.

The passive’s mechanics were becoming clearer to him. However, one crucial aspect remained untested.

I haven’t had a chance to see if it actually improves my healing.

He hadn’t been injured, so he couldn’t truly verify it.

If I could just get hurt, I’d be able to ascertain how well the regeneration works, especially with the healing option I copy-pasted from the potion.

However, there were no monsters on this island strong enough to wound him. He even asked Ashunaga to strike him with all her might, but he remained unscathed thanks to his Invincible Body.

In that case, I should ask Mr. Jecheon for help.

Jecheon Seong, the revered sage, could potentially break through his Invincible body. Perhaps Yeon Hong-Ah could do it as well, but they weren’t close enough for him to ask such a favor. Therefore, Jecheon Seong was his only option.

Since he couldn’t learn anything more about his passive, he decided to set aside his musings.

It’s not essential since I have the Invincible Body, but it’s not useless either.

It could still be a lifesaver when facing an enemy strong enough to breach his Invincible Body. In that case, the extra healing could be invaluable.

With his thoughts on the Blood Chaser settled, Kim Do-Joon refocused on the task at hand: to conquer more islands. Each day, he shattered the Aether Cores and absorbed the mana contained within the Ice Crystals.

Just like that, a few days passed.

"This is the last one," Ashunaga said suddenly.

“

Huh?

” Kim Do-Joon asked, not expecting the statement. “What do you mean, the last one?”

Ashunaga nodded, declaring confidently, “We’ve taken over every island the Nagarajas controlled. This is it.”

Their days of conquering dozens of islands were over. While there could still be some stray Nagas, there were no more territories under Nagaraja’s control.

Kim Do-Joon frowned.

That doesn’t seem right.

If what she said was true, they should have absorbed all the Aether Cores by now. So why hadn’t the system shown the clear message? Was there another condition they hadn’t met?

With that suspicion in mind, Kim Do-Joon spent the next day exploring areas they hadn’t visited yet. And eventually, he stumbled across something.

[Ice Crystal Giant]

The creature standing before him was similar to the Ice Giants he had seen patrolling the sea, but this one was much larger, more terrifying in appearance.

Then, the realization hit him.

So this is the real boss of the dungeon.

After all this time, the real challenge of the dungeon wasn't the Nagas, but this colossal golem.

All I have to do is take this one down, and it’s over

.

It towered in size, far more massive than the statues of Sky Road. And yet, Kim Do-Joon was unfazed. If anything, his heart was racing with excitement. What rewards awaited him after defeating this monster and clearing the dungeon?

Tightening his grip on his spear, he pushed off the ground and charged straight at the monster.

***

The loud thrum of helicopter blades echoed in the sky. A military transport helicopter, which wasn’t supposed to depart for another week, had taken off hastily, filled with Hunters.

After being dormant for a while, the Giant Woodland suddenly expanded again at an alarming rate. At this rate, it’d overrun nearby cities in just a few days, forcing an emergency response.

Inside the helicopter were Yeon Hong-Ah, Shin Yoo-Sung, Oh Tae-Jin, and some of the top A-rank Hunters. There were also people from Mercenaries like Ko Cheong-Cheon and Walter, representing different sides. Sitting on opposite ends, both groups exchanged fierce glares, especially from the Korean Hunters.

It hadn’t been long since Ko Cheong-Cheon defected to the other side. None of them could easily stomach his new allegiance with the Mercenaries.

As the helicopter cut through the sky, Walter glanced around.

“What are you looking for?” Ko Cheong-Cheon asked in fluent English.

Walter narrowed his eyes. “Where’s that guy?”

“Who?”

“Kim Do-Joon.”

“

Ooh

, the one who kicked your ass?” Ko Cheong-Cheon smirked.

Walter shot him a glare, but Ko Cheong-Cheon simply chuckled, unphased.

“Losing to an A-rank got you all worked up, huh? Who told you to let your guard down?” he teased.

Knowing how mistaken Ko Cheong-Cheon was, Walter didn’t respond. At first, Walter had underestimated Kim Do-Joon, thinking he was just another A-rank. However, once they started fighting, he knew better. His attitude changed from dismissive to fully serious, so much so that he instinctively drew his weapon in the heat of the battle.

And yet, he still lost. Walter had no choice but to admit that Kim Do-Joon was stronger than him.

Something’s not right...

On the other hand, Walter’s fixation toward Kim Do-Joon struck Ko Cheong-Cheon as odd.

Why is he so obsessed with one A-rank?

Walter’s unusual behavior wasn’t the only thing bothering him. Oh Tae-Jin had also been poring over files on Kim Do-Joon. And then there were the others. Before the helicopter took off, when everyone had gathered, both Shin Yoo-Sung and Yeon Hong-Ah had immediately started asking about Kim Do-Joon. Their faces grew grim when the Association President informed them that he was out of reach.

It was as if they thought the whole operation would fail without him.

Why’s everyone making a big deal out of him? I’m right here.

Ko Cheong-Cheon let out a scoff. He knew he was the strongest person on board. Among all the elite Korean Hunters and Mercenaries, no one matched him. Yet, everyone seemed more concerned over the absence of a single A-rank Hunter.

His eyes glinted with determination. After this operation, he planned to officially join the Mercenaries. To silence the critics back in Korea, he had to shine in this mission and make a noticeable contribution.

“We’ve reached the drop zone!” the pilot’s voice crackled over the radio.

The helicopter doors slid open, revealing the vast and eerie expanse of the Giant Woodland below. Its ominous aura reached up as if to swallow them whole. No one knew what lay ahead.

During the initial reconnaissance, they had only found the carcasses of werewolves, which meant there were creatures even stronger lurking below.

However, Ko Cheong-Cheon felt no fear. He trusted his strength more than anything.

“We’re getting out,” he signaled to the Mercenaries.

Without hesitation, Ko Cheong-Cheon was the first to leap out of the helicopter, diving headfirst into the unknown.