Chapter 9

Chapter 9.

 

The reward from the Gear Crusher was a sledgehammer-type artifact.

 It was a two-handed weapon, and its design was quite different from that of a standard warhammer. For Ha-kyung, it was simply too large and heavy to use.

‘That will not be worth buying.’

As he walked away, having given up on the item, someone suddenly adjusted their pace to match his. It was the master of the Raiders, Choi Hyun-ki.

“Ahem! My apologies for the late greeting. Thanks to you, we were able to overcome that crisis.”

“It was nothing.”

“I see you participated as a guest member. Are you currently active as a solo player?”

“That is correct.”

“I suppose you do not have much interest in joining a guild, then. Am I right?”

Ha-kyung responded with a faint smile. It was a silent, polite way of expressing his refusal. However, Choi Hyun-ki’s proposal was quite different from what he had expected.

“Then how about this? We could enter into a short-term, one-month contract. We would renew it every month. Naturally, I will ensure the treatment you receive is at the highest level in the industry.”

It was an offer that Ha-kyung could not help but find tempting. He would be able to leave whenever he wanted. Furthermore, if he were with the Raiders, he would likely have frequent opportunities to clear high-level dungeons.

But then, Ma Do-hyuk abruptly cut in.

“He will act as if he is treating you well just to secure a long-term contract, and then he will suck you dry to the bone with an insane schedule. Haven't there been truckloads of prospects who were ruined that way?”

The Raiders was a notorious guild. They were famous for recruiting anyone—even ex-convicts—as long as they had skill, and for committing all sorts of atrocities within the Abyss. Just a moment ago, their guild members had shown their true colors, swarming the boss’s remains like a pack of hyenas.

Ha-kyung had not known there were such dark stories behind them. His heart, which had been momentarily swayed, cooled instantly.

‘Now that I think about it, I remember what my father told me.’

He had mentioned that there were guilds that used up promising rookies like disposable items. It seemed the Raiders was one of them. As Ha-kyung’s expression hardened, Choi Hyun-ki’s face also twisted in response.

“What exactly do you think you are doing?”

“He needs to know the internal situation. Is that not the only way to ensure a fair contract?”

“Why is a third party like you meddling in this?”

In an instant, sparks seemed to fly between Ma Do-hyuk and Choi Hyun-ki. Their gazes were incredibly intense. As the atmosphere threatened to overheat again, Ha-kyung spoke up.

“I was planning to refuse anyway. I have already received similar offers from Black Water and Chang-un.”

“Pardon?”

“They offered me one point five times more than the highest industry standard. Even so, I told them I would not do it.”

“...”

Choi Hyun-ki fell silent. He had not expected that such lucrative offers had already been made to the young man. It seemed he had no intention of offering more than that amount. Seizing the moment, Ha-kyung left a small window of opportunity open.

“I am willing to participate as a guest member. Please contact me when you are short on personnel.”

“Oh! If that is the case, we would be glad as well.”

Choi Hyun-ki’s expression relaxed slightly. Of course, his gaze toward Ma Do-hyuk remained sharp. After glaring at him for a moment, Choi Hyun-ki left the area. Taking this as his chance, Ma Do-hyuk began walking alongside Ha-kyung.

“From what I hear, it seems you explore the Abyss alone. Is that true?”

“Yes.”

“How did you end up doing that?”

“Maneuverability drops when traveling in a group. Furthermore, the larger an organization is, the more constraints it creates.”

“Haha! That is the exact same reason as me.”

In truth, Ha-kyung had a different reason for traveling alone, but he could not exactly say he was searching for Ultimate Abyss Fragments. He had given a vague excuse, but Ma Do-hyuk seemed to feel a strong sense of kinship.

After walking for a long time, they reached a dead end. It was quite a large space, and Ha-kyung stood in the far-right section.

‘The other teams have not arrived yet.’

It appeared that Raid Team 4 had been the fastest to defeat their Guardian. It was a natural result, considering the performances of Ha-kyung and Ma Do-hyuk had been overwhelming. The raid team set up a camp and rested comfortably.

During that time, Ha-kyung shared a long conversation with Ma Do-hyuk. Naturally, the topic was about Abyssal exploration. Ma Do-hyuk spoke with eyes that sparkled like those of a child.

“Do you know that there is an even larger space beneath the pits of the Abyss?”

“I have wandered the Abyss for four and a half years, but I have never seen such a place.”

“It is a place called the Void. You need a special method to enter it.”

“I certainly would like to visit it.”

“It seems your desire for a challenge is surging as well.”

Ma Do-hyuk looked excited for some reason. It was likely because he felt a strong sense of commonality. However, Ha-kyung’s sense of purpose was stronger than his pure curiosity.

‘The Void. I wonder if there is an Ultimate Abyss Fragment there as well.’

The Abyss was a place of constant change. Even if he scoured the bottom thoroughly, the entire layout would change just a few days later. That was why Ha-kyung went out to explore the Abyss almost every day. Hearing that there was a place called the Void that was even deeper than the Abyss made him want to go there immediately.

As if reading Ha-kyung’s expression, Ma Do-hyuk spoke.

“If you wish, I will tell you how to enter it.”

“What should I give you in return?”

“A simple exchange of information will be enough. The Void is a dangerous place for me as well.”

Ha-kyung nodded readily. Of course, he had no intention of receiving the information for free. He thought he should do something for Ma Do-hyuk. He could repay him with information or a future dungeon raid opportunity.

Suddenly, the resting area began to grow noisy. It seemed the other raid teams had arrived. Soon, someone approached and spoke to him. It was Yoon Chang-ho, the guild master of Black Water.

“It is good to see you, Mr. Ha-kyung.”

“Hello. I heard you were the overall Raid Leader, but I have not had the chance to greet you properly.”

“Haha! There were quite a lot of people, after all. We were on different teams as well.”

“Were there no major casualties?”

“Regrettably, there were some fatalities. Our compatibility with the Guardian was not very good.”

“I see...”

“Still, there should be no problem in raiding the final boss.”

The current strength stood at 105 people. This was within the expected range of casualties. Yoon Chang-ho looked at Ha-kyung and let out a hearty laugh.

“Haha! As expected, you performed magnificently.”

“In truth, Mr. Ma Do-hyuk played a larger role. He risked his life to create a weakness for me.”

“I wonder what kind of luck the Raiders had to have so many prominent figures in Team 4.”

Yoon Chang-ho gave a meaningful smile. It felt as if he knew everything about Ha-kyung’s performance. It was likely because of his conversation with Choi Hyun-ki. That man would have evaluated Ha-kyung more highly than Ma Do-hyuk.

The private conversation ended quickly. Yoon Chang-ho went around the raid teams to collect the keys and performed one final headcount.

“We will now begin the raid on the final boss. Everyone, please focus a bit more.”

He then inserted the four keys into the stone gate.

Rumble!

The passage opened with a thunderous roar. Soon, a system message appeared before Ha-kyung’s eyes.

[You have encountered the boss of the Abyss dungeon, Fusion Tyrant.]

This time, there were no specific penalties. Ha-kyung knew from experience what this meant.

‘It means the boss is that much stronger.’

Sure enough, the Fusion Tyrant was a terrifying sight. It stood fifteen meters tall with four heads facing each of the cardinal directions. It had eight arms and numerous cannons embedded densely in its lower abdomen. Like the Gear Crusher, it was a monster fused with mechanical armor.

Ha-kyung sensed the many hardships that were about to unfold.

Whir! Click! Click!

Detecting the intruders, the Fusion Tyrant’s eyes glowed with a blood-red light.

“Beeeep!”

[Fusion Tyrant deploys Oil Bombardment.]

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Raid Team 4 reacted immediately. They had suffered quite a bit due to the Gear Crusher’s oil cannon. Ha-kyung quickly activated his Whisperer.

“Attack the projectiles and blow them up. If you get trapped, it is over!”

“Understood!”

The long-range dealers concentrated their attacks in the air.

Boom! Rooooar!

Along with a thunderous roar, crimson flames surged. The intense heat flared out and heated their armor. Thanks to the quick response, the raid team did not suffer significant damage.

“Thank you for the early warning, Mr. Lee Ha-kyung. I have taken the aggro for now. Melee dealers, move in.”

At Yoon Chang-ho’s straightforward address, everyone’s gaze momentarily focused on Ha-kyung. All the members of the raid team glanced at him for a second. Some Awakened even gave him a light salute.

Ha-kyung bowed his head slightly in response and focused on the raid. Following Yoon Chang-ho’s command, he approached the lower part of the Fusion Tyrant. He poured out attacks toward the irritatingly large number of cannon barrels.

‘It is easier to raid if I smash the annoying parts beforehand.’

As he swung his Abyss Refinement to cut down the barrels, a sharp noise suddenly rang out nearby.

Clang! Clang!

Ma Do-hyuk was doing the exact same thing as Ha-kyung. Their gazes met for a split second. There were no words. They simply gave each other a grin.

Following that, Ha-kyung and Ma Do-hyuk frantically destroyed nothing but cannons.

[Fusion Tyrant deploys Oil Bombardment.]

The cannons began to activate at that exact moment. It was a perfect coincidence.

Bang! Rumble!

Thanks to the efforts of Ha-kyung and Ma Do-hyuk, very few of them fired properly. Most of them simply leaked oil uselessly. Ha-kyung cheered inwardly.

‘Good. This is as good as sealing off one of the boss’s weapons.’

The long-range dealers were also playing their parts. In the meantime, they had turned the Fusion Tyrant’s arms into mere scrap metal. At this rate, it felt as though the raid would end smoothly.

However, this was an Incomprehensible-grade dungeon. There was no way the final boss would be this easy. Ha-kyung tightened his resolve.

‘I must not let my guard down.’

As expected, an ominous system message appeared.

[Fusion Tyrant deploys Energy Circulation Cores.]
[If you fail to destroy them within 5 minutes, the Fusion Tyrant’s physical restoration will be completed.]

Whir! Click!

Large pillars shot up, one in each direction: north, south, east, and west. Green sparks began to fly from them. Soon, vivid beams of light connected to the Fusion Tyrant. Then, an amazing thing happened.

Crunch! Crack!

The shattered arms and cannons began to return to their original state. The restoration speed was truly immense. Ha-kyung immediately lunged toward a pillar.

Clang!

His grayish blade, two meters long, struck out. His Abyss Refinement hit with a satisfying impact. The attack went through much better than expected. The metal pillar was sliced apart easily.

‘Wait, why is this so easy?’

Having some breathing room, Ha-kyung glanced around. He was checking to see if the other raid teams could do the same. However, the other three pillars were still perfectly intact. Ha-kyung could not help but wonder why.

‘What is the reason?’

As he paused his movements, Ma Do-hyuk, who was swinging a greatsword, caught his eye. His attack power was also formidable, yet the Energy Circulation Core was barely damaged. At that moment, Ha-kyung reached a conclusion.

‘What if the Fusion Tyrant’s weakness is the same Abyss energy?’

Ha-kyung increased the pace of his attacks. His Abyss Refinement burned even more fiercely.

Clang! Smash!

The southern pillar was turned into a pile of scrap metal in an instant. Ha-kyung prepared to turn his body immediately.

‘There is still time. I can go help the other sections.’

But it was then.

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion erupted out of nowhere. Immediately after, a massive impact hit Ha-kyung. His figure was sent flying far away. A surprise attack from the Fusion Tyrant had struck Ha-kyung squarely.

“Damn it...”

A curse naturally escaped his lips, but he did not even have time to make a sound. Ha-kyung flipped his body in mid-air while searching for a landing spot. After calculating his flight trajectory, his vision momentarily went dark.

‘Great, at this rate, I will be pushed out of the boss’s nest.’

There was a ventilation shaft open at the very top of the wall. It looked as if he would be sucked right into it. Ha-kyung reached out with his right arm. Then, the tip of the blade protruding from his karambit caught on something. It was a steel pillar supporting the ventilation shaft.

Clang!

Because of the high cutting power, he could not stop his body completely. Nevertheless, his flying speed was significantly reduced. At this rate, he would at least land nearby, though the problem was that it was outside the boss’s nest.

Screeeech!

Ha-kyung slowed down by driving his karambit into the wall. Fortunately, he was able to stop halfway. Now he just had to climb back up. But it was then.

[‘Soul Brand’ detects traces of a fragment.]
[The signal has become much clearer.]

The area outside the boss’s nest was filled with boiling molten metal. It was a place that made it hard to breathe, but Ha-kyung was smiling.

‘No matter how busy I am, I cannot ignore this.’