Chapter 45

Chapter 45.

 

Until now, Ha-kyung had only been involved in activities that were not particularly well known to the public.

After all, he had merely been rummaging through the Abyssal Pit.

At least recently, he had made his name known a little.

Through things like the AI Raid Videos and the Ranking Tournament.

Even so, Ha-kyung was puzzled.

“I wonder whether the Ranking Tournament’s influence was really this great.”

“When the Deputy Chairman contacted me, I should have pretended to give in and participated... Somehow, I feel regretful.”

Someone of Ryu Jae-wook’s caliber could have achieved fairly good results.

After all, he was a capable Ranged Damage Dealer in his own right.

While everyone was bewildered by the unexpected result,John, who had been quietly sipping coffee, said something. 

“Do you all have time to sit around like this? You have to conduct interviews and form a Raid Party. That is going to take an age. Ah! This place makes good coffee.”

“......”

At that earthy but sharp remark, everyone froze.

He was not wrong.

They had to compare the stats and dispositions of one hundred and fifty people.

Then select the optimal personnel.

Who on earth was supposed to do all of that?

Ha-kyung nodded.

“For now, let us go to Association Headquarters and borrow a conference room first.”

“Yes.”

Forming a Raid Party was truly a headache-inducing task.

Immediately after the interviews somehow came to an end,

Ha-kyung thought, ‘Next time, I would rather go in as a Guest Member and only enjoy the easy benefits... But I suppose that will not work.’

If he rebuilt Axis Prime, he would have no choice but to take charge of the dirty work.

Of course, it would not be like today.

By then, there would be far more people helping him.

In any case, it was an irritating and mentally exhausting task.

After finishing the Raid Party’s composition, Ha-kyung stepped up onto the platform.

The microphone turned on.

And his voice echoed through the conference room.

—It is good to meet you. I am Lee Ha-kyung.

He had only said that single sentence.

Yet the atmosphere in the hall changed.

“Waaah—.”

Starting with someone’s small cheer, an unexpected round of applause poured out.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!

Ha-kyung ended up making a puzzled expression.

The Raid Party briefing had somehow turned into something like a fan meeting.

He smiled slightly and raised both hands.

At that, the conference room fell silent in an instant.

Ha-kyung calmly opened his mouth.

—Thank you for your response. From this point on, I will begin the briefing for the Massive Unknown Grade dungeon.

It was a dungeon on the scale of an Unfathomable Grade dungeon, the same size as the Fusion Abyss, but the method of progression was quite different.

It had a simple structure consisting of a vast circular forest.

Moreover, this time, there was not even a Guardian.

Ha-kyung pointed at the PowerPoint screen and said, —The core of this dungeon is one thing. We must find and eliminate the hidden final boss within the time limit. This is information we obtained by hiring someone with detection abilities, and they were quite expensive.

“Hahaha!”

—Please help me get my money’s worth, everyone.

“Yes!”

The meeting ended in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Usually, things would be somewhat solemn.

There would normally be tension in the air.

Perhaps because of that, Do Hyun-ah suddenly murmured with a worried expression.

“An atmosphere that is too excited is not good. We are not going there to play.”

It might be Unknown Grade, but it was Massive in scale.

It was not something they could stroll into cheerfully, smash apart, and return from.

It would likely be harder than most Unfathomable Grade dungeons.

Ha-kyung agreed with her as well.

“We will have to coordinate carefully so that no accidents happen.”

“How will you handle field command?”

In truth, this was the most important decision.

Usually, the organization leading the Raid Party would take command.

However, Ha-kyung did not have much experience with that.

Moreover, if the opportunity arose, he had to quietly slip away and look for the Ultimate Abyss Fragment.

Taking command himself would inevitably be difficult.

That was exactly what Do Hyun-ah was worried about.

A leader drunk on popularity and puffed up with pride was the most dangerous element of all.

However, Ha-kyung was not someone who lacked discernment.

“There is someone else who will take command.”

“I see. May I ask who it is in advance?”

“The Great Sage.”

“Pardon?”

“I have not proposed it yet, but they will probably accept gladly.”

“......”

Do Hyun-ah could not close her open mouth.

That was how mysterious the Great Sage was.

And how difficult they were to approach.

Had even Kang Woo-jin, the Guild Master of Death Hound, not failed to hide his surprise?

Do Hyun-ah’s reaction was only natural.

“I have met them a few times as well. But I could not bring myself to invite them. They are such a closed-off person.”

“I was fortunate enough to form a connection with them. Now then, shall we go?”

“Yes.”

Her doubtful expression vanished like melting snow.

In Do Hyun-ah’s eyes, awe took its place.

As she moved to join her team members,

she looked back at Ha-kyung and muttered to herself.

“I thought he would become a major figure someday, but I never thought it would happen this quickly...”

Do Hyun-ah recalled the day she had given Ha-kyung her business card.

Five months ago.

In truth, in her eyes, Ha-kyung had been nothing more than a brave Melee Damage Dealer.

Yet now, he had become a far greater figure than she had imagined.

First place in the Ranking Tournament’s Melee Damage Dealer Division.

Raid Leader of a Massive Unknown Grade dungeon.

These were not things just anyone could do.

Do Hyun-ah smacked her lips in regret.

“I should have recruited him even if I had to charge in with my whole body.”

It was a remark that would have made anyone who heard it faint from shock.

***

Ha-kyung’s Raid Party advanced toward the center of the Abyss.

Of course, they did not receive protection the way a large guild would.

Even so, they were able to arrive without any particular loss of combat power.

It was thanks to Ha-kyung and the Great Sage’s outstanding pathfinding skills.

Ryu Jae-wook and Do Hyun-ah clicked their tongues in admiration again and again.

“I cannot see anything at all, so how are those two only taking us through safe places?”

“I am suddenly embarrassed that I quietly hinted to the leader about whether he had any command experience.”

“It was not wrong. Still, he is someone who has shown such unconventional achievements.”

While the team members spoke among themselves,

Ha-kyung stood before a stone gate lodged deep within the Abyss.

‘I am a little nervous.’

It could not be helped, since this was his first time serving as a Raid Leader.

Even so, his playstyle would probably not be different from usual.

Only his responsibility and rewards had increased.

Ha-kyung inserted the golden shining key into the stone gate.

Click! Rumble!

[You have entered the dungeon ‘Abyss of Pursuit’]

[Time Attack begins]

[Eliminate the monster hiding in the Dark Forest, the Green Warden, within one hour]

[If you fail, the dungeon will disappear]

[Grade: Unknown]

[Limit: 120 people]

[Reward: Unknown Artifact]

The sky was clear.

And there was no fog.

However, the inside of the forest was exceedingly dark.

It was because trees of tremendous height grew densely packed together.

Ha-kyung frowned slightly.

‘A Time Attack...’

With a detection skill, one could only glimpse the inside of a dungeon slightly.

It was impossible to learn detailed information.

One could only make rough inferences by looking at the internal structure.

And yet there was hide-and-seek, plus a Time Attack.

This was a completely unexpected element.

Perhaps noticing Ha-kyung’s concern,

John suddenly spoke to him.

“Unkillable God Bro can handle this easily.”

“Now I am God Bro?”

“That trash journalist with Moon-something in his name stuck it right into an article. The Awakened Community is calling you Divine Ha-kyung too.”

“Oh, dear.”

Ha-kyung let out a groan, but he felt a little more at ease.

So what if it was hide-and-seek?

So what if it was a Time Attack?

With his skill, he could overcome it as much as necessary.

Soon, the Great Sage’s voice came through the Whisperer.

—No monsters have been discovered at all. For a smoother search, I will divide the main force into four groups. Be prepared to regroup at any time, just in case.

Soon, the teams that received the order advanced in different directions.

Ha-kyung belonged to Team 1.

Since he was with the Great Sage, who was in command, they moved as slowly as possible through the center.

It was to make it easier for the other teams to regroup.

They were advancing step by step,when suddenly, Ha-kyung stopped walking.

[‘Soul Brand’ detects a strange presence]

‘Huh?’

It was a phrase he had never seen before.

Normally, it should have said that it had detected Traces of a Fragment.

Ha-kyung looked around with a puzzled expression.

Then the figures of the team members were marked in reddish tones.

As though he were seeing them through a thermal imaging camera.

However, there was something strange.

Just like the team members, the massive ancient trees were glowing red as well.

On the other hand, stones on the ground, branches, and the like had no color.

What on earth did that mean?

Ha-kyung quickly called the Great Sage.

“Something is strange.”

“What is it?”

“I do not think these are ordinary trees.”

“Which trees are you referring to?”

“All of them.”

“......!”

The Great Sage’s expression became subtle.

How many trees were there in this forest?

And all of them were strange?

Moreover, what Ha-kyung said next was even more outrageous.

“I think all of them are monsters.”

“If that is the case, would that not mean we are trapped in the middle of a swarm of thousands?”

“Just in case, let us regroup first.”

“Ah... Understood.”

The Great Sage hesitated for a moment, but in the end, they accepted Ha-kyung’s opinion.

If one of the Guest Members had said it, the result would have been different.

It probably would have ended with them simply being a little more careful.

However, Ha-kyung’s words could not be ignored.

Because of the overwhelming ability he had shown until now.

—Attention, all teams. Return to the main force as quickly as possible.

—...Understood.

Ryu Jae-wook’s answer came a beat late.

They had only just spread out.

And now the order had immediately changed.

From another perspective, would it not look like pointless back-and-forth training?

However, the team leaders obediently followed the order.

The first group to return was Team 4, led by Ma Do-hyuk.

“What happened all of a sudden? This indecisiveness does not suit you.”

“The leader found something strange.”

At the Great Sage’s answer, Ma Do-hyuk approached Ha-kyung.

However, the moment he was about to ask something,

Ma Do-hyuk could not continue speaking.

“What... Ugh?”

It was because his field of vision suddenly flipped upside down.

Ma Do-hyuk, dangling in midair, shouted with a stunned expression.

“No, what on earth is this?”

“The trees! The trees really were all monsters!”

At Ha-kyung’s shout, Ma Do-hyuk hurriedly looked behind him.

Then he saw vines like anacondas slithering around.

Furthermore, around the middle of the ancient trees, each dozens of meters tall, red glows appeared.

“Gwooooooo!”

The tree monsters began twitching with grotesque cries.

Amazingly, Ha-kyung’s words were true.

The Whisperer vibrated violently.

And the Great Sage’s voice rang out.

—Team 2! Team 3! Where are you? Return immediately!

However, no reply came from Ryu Jae-wook or Do Hyun-ah.

It seemed they had no time to answer either.

While everyone was falling into confusion, Ha-kyung moved first.

[Abyss Challenger’s Authority, ‘Compression,’ increases the density of Abyss Energy]

SHING—! SLAAASH!

Ha-kyung cut through the vine that had been tightening around Ma Do-hyuk’s throat in an instant.

It was so thick and tough that even cutting it with Compressed Abyss Refinement was not easy.

Still, he managed to save him somehow.

Ma Do-hyuk drew in ragged breaths and expressed his gratitude.

“Hah! Haaah! Th-thank you, Mr. Ha-kyung.”

“Do not mention it. We do not have time, so let us form a defensive formation first.”

“Yes!”

The initial confusion was nowhere to be seen.

As befitting veteran Awakened, the team members moved in perfect order.

Ha-kyung took his place shoulder to shoulder with John.

When surrounded, forming a circular defensive formation was the best option.

At a time like this, even Melee Damage Dealers had to stand at the front line like Tanks.

Otherwise, they could not protect the Healers and Ranged Damage Dealers.

Then something flickered in Ha-kyung’s eyes.

‘What is that?’

A figure briefly glimpsed between the massive trees.

Soul Brand’s thermal imaging function captured the figures of Team 2 and Team 3.

The team members had become isolated while returning and were fighting madly.

If they were left like that, half their forces would be wiped out before they even found the boss.

Ha-kyung gritted his teeth.

‘I have to open a path.’

It was a moment that called for one powerful strike.

However, Compression Soul-Sever alone did not seem like it would be enough.

That did not mean he could use Kin-Eater on ordinary monsters like these.

Even if he did, the effect would be negligible.

At that very moment, a curve formed at the corners of Ha-kyung’s mouth.

‘There is something I took precisely for moments like this, is there not?’

Ha-kyung drove the metal rod he had been carrying on his back into the ground.

THUNK!

[Kin-Eater skill target set]

[Target: Resonance Pillar]