Before long, Sung-jun and his party arrived at the area where the Break Dungeon portal had formed.
A defense line had been established around the portal, and hunters were steadily joining the main line.
There were about 20 minutes left until the Dungeon Break.
The hunters were focused on the portal with tense expressions.
‘That is the main defense line.
Hmm, it is built quite solidly, but the ratio of C-rank hunters is too high.
Once the Dungeon Break happens and the monsters pour out, it might not be easy to hold them off.’
To Sung-jun, the main defense line looked decent, but since C-rank hunters were the backbone, it seemed difficult for them to withstand an influx of B-rank monsters.
It appeared that because they lacked a sufficient number of B-rank hunters, they had distributed them among several defense lines, significantly reducing the count at the main one.
Fortunately, all four A-rank hunters were stationed at the main line, but even so, it looked like a tough fight ahead.
“Stay here for a moment. I’ll go check the situation and come back.”
Sung-jun, having found a spot a short distance from the defense line, told Gwang-taek and Yu-seon to wait.
Since Sung-jun was still registered as an F-rank buffer, he could slip away easily as he wasn’t expected to contribute much to the fight.
However, if Gwang-taek was revealed to be a B-rank tanker, he would undoubtedly be dragged to the front lines immediately.
Therefore, Sung-jun planned to go alone, check the situation quickly, and return.
Approaching the rear of the defense line secretly, he spotted a hunter who looked visibly nervous and approached him.
“Excuse me.”
The hunter looked at Sung-jun with a puzzled expression.
“Hmm? Oh, yes?”
“I understand there are only about 20 minutes left until the Dungeon Break. When is the support expected to arrive?”
Sung-jun didn’t get straight to the point.
He brought up a different topic first to create a natural atmosphere for conversation.
“I heard three of the country’s top ten guilds have scrambled their private jets. Even so, considering the time it takes to get from Taean Airfield to here, it’ll take at least 1 hour. And the main force traveling by vehicle will take at least 2 hours or more. I heard they left as quickly as possible, though.”
Taking more than 2 hours by car meant they had just left Seoul.
“Hmm, I see. By the way, I wonder if we can hold out for that long.”
“Sigh, tell me about it. Thousands of B-rank monsters are going to pour out. I don’t know how long we can last with this much power.”
As the man sighed and showed his anxiety, Sung-jun asked cautiously, “The text message mentioned they were recruiting hunters to enter the dungeon. Were there any applicants?”
At Sung-jun’s question, the hunter spoke with a bitter expression.
“I heard about forty people gathered. Considering the required number is fifty-five, they still need fifteen more. With less than 20 minutes left, it’s essentially a lost cause.”
Only then did Sung-jun realize the required number was fifty-five.
‘The requirement was fifty-five people? In that case, even if all the A-ranks gathered, they wouldn’t have had enough B-ranks to support them. Clearing the dungeon was out of the question from the start.’
If the required number had been 100, they might have pursued a dungeon clear.
But fifty-five was an absurdly small number.
Of course, it would have been impossible to coordinate the timing anyway since it took time for the A-ranks to gather.
“Is that so? Forty people. Still, that’s quite a lot. I didn’t know so many people were willing to throw their lives away for 500 million won.”
Regardless, nearly forty people had gathered.
Sung-jun found that impressive in itself.
“They said all the hunters who applied are F-rank. They say a mercenary’s daily wage is only 300,000 won, but even so, isn’t 500 million won a bit low for throwing away your life? They must have their reasons for applying, but I still can’t understand it.”
Even if one was only E-rank and could work as a proper hunter, their actions would be hard to comprehend.
Isn’t 500 million won too little to risk one’s life?
However, everyone has their own circumstances, and they likely needed that money desperately enough to risk everything.
After all, 500 million won was not a sum an F-rank could ever hope to save easily.
“Everyone has their own story, I suppose. Anyway, with less than 20 minutes left, it doesn’t seem like it will be easy to gather ten or so more people.”
“It’s not just difficult, it’s impossible. A Dungeon Break is likely unavoidable. Damn it, this place might become our grave if we aren’t careful, so stay alert. There isn’t much time left.”
With just over 10 minutes remaining until the Dungeon Break, it was nearly impossible to recruit fifteen more applicants.
Sung-jun, having assessed the situation, spoke with a smile.
“Exactly. I’ll have to run until my feet sweat so this doesn’t become our grave. Well, good luck.”
With those words, Sung-jun quietly slipped away.
He left the defense line and headed back to where his companions were waiting.
When Sung-jun arrived, Gwang-taek asked hurriedly, “How did it go? How many applicants are there?”
Sung-jun shook his head at Gwang-taek’s question.
***
“The requirement is fifty-five people, and there are only about forty applicants. With less than 10 minutes left, it’s virtually impossible to reach the required number.”
In short, the plan to clear the dungeon was dead.
“Sigh, that’s a shame. I was hoping to get an S-rank reward for once.”
Watching Gwang-taek express his disappointment, Sung-jun clicked his tongue.
“*Tsk*, what’s there to be disappointed about? It’s better this way. It would be one thing if we were just hunting regular monsters, but the boss isn’t easy. It’s common knowledge that you need at least thirty parties composed mostly of A-ranks to take down a B-rank boss. Do you really think the three of us could produce that much firepower?”
In the case of B-rank dungeons, many remained stuck at a 99% clear rate.
To defeat a B-rank dungeon boss, one needed at least ten parties, each consisting of five or six A-rank hunters and two or three B-rank hunters.
This meant most of the country’s A-rank hunters would have to be deployed.
However, A-rank hunters belonged to different guilds, and it was never easy to get them all in one place.
Of course, it might be possible to compensate for a lack of A-ranks by deploying a massive number of B-ranks instead, but there weren’t many guilds capable of such a large-scale B-rank deployment.
Maybe the top ten guilds in the country?
Consequently, to properly clear a B-rank dungeon, at least three or four of the top ten guilds had to unite.
Yet, Gwang-taek was thinking of clearing such a B-rank dungeon with just the three of them.
“Hmm, is it impossible? With the debuff potions and your buffs, Sung-jun, I thought it might be doable. Was I oversimplifying things?”
“Well, I’ve never faced a B-rank boss, so it’s hard to judge if it’s possible. But even so, it wouldn’t be easy.”
Objectively speaking, the idea of one A-rank and two B-ranks hunting a B-rank boss was preposterous.
However, because that A-rank was none other than Sung-jun, it was difficult to flat-out call it impossible.
Even Sung-jun himself couldn’t definitively say it was impossible.
“So what now? Are we moving back toward the shelter?”
At Gwang-taek’s question, Sung-jun shook his head.
“No, let’s head to the main defense line first. The best thing is to stop the monsters at the line before they scatter everywhere. We’ll try to hold them at the main defense line, and if it looks like we absolutely can’t, we’ll pull out then.”
Sung-jun suggested joining the main defense line.
The best outcome in the current situation was for the defense line not to collapse.
Gwang-taek and Yu-seon might not know, but Sung-jun had a way to make the defense line much more robust.
However, if it still looked like the line would break, he intended to leave immediately without looking back.
He judged that if they couldn’t hold out even after doing everything they could, it would be better to prepare for the aftermath.
“Huh? Will the main defense line be okay? It doesn’t seem like the few of us joining will have a huge impact on the war. And it’s not like you can give every single one of them a buff, Sung-jun.”
“Beyond that, even if we leave now, the Dungeon Break will probably happen before we arrive. Wouldn’t it be better to head back near the shelter and prepare for what comes next?”
Yu-seon and Gwang-taek were concerned about joining the main defense line.
No matter how they looked at it, the situation seemed desperate.
“I have a plan, so trust me and let’s go. I can make the defense line much stronger than it is now.”
The defense line looked flimsy at a glance, and since it was mostly comprised of C-ranks, it was hard to trust.
However, Sung-jun had a decisive trump card that could overturn the disadvantage of ranks in a single blow, and he planned to use it to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
***
In the end, because the required number of people wasn’t met, the plan to buy time by entering the dungeon fell through.
And the moment the countdown hit zero —
*Roaaaar!*
*Kieeeeek!*
The Break Dungeon portal instantly expanded, and monsters began pouring out.
The Dungeon Break had officially begun.
“Gah! They’re coming! Hold them back at all costs!”
“C-Crimson Tigers! Damn it! Of all things, it had to be the beast-type Crimson Tigers!”
The Crimson Tiger was a higher species of the C-rank Saber Tiger, possessing crimson blood-colored fur and a massive build.
They possessed immense destructive power and, being beast-types, boasted significant agility.
“Healers, focus your healing on the tankers! Tankers, hold on with everything you’ve got! Our role is to endure! We just need to hold out until reinforcements arrive, so hold no matter what!”
Jin Tae-jun, the Guild Master of the Zephyrus Guild, shouted at the top of his lungs.
Given the caliber of the hunters currently manning the defense line, even holding out was not an easy task.
But since they couldn’t retreat, they had to endure somehow until help came.
*Crash! Boom! Thud! Bam!*
Finally, the full-scale battle began.
*Roaaar!*
*Kieeeeee!*
The massive number of Crimson Tigers pouring out of the giant portal slammed into the defense line.
“Ugh! T-This is crazy!”
“Gah! This is B-rank… how are we supposed to stop this…”
The areas where B-rank tankers were positioned managed to hold on somehow, but the spots where C-rank tankers were stationed looked like they were struggling just to block.
“Aaaaaagh!”
“Argh! H-Help… Aaaaagh!”
Perhaps because of this, screams never ceased from all directions.
“Not so fast!”
*Kwakwakwakwakwa!*
*Boom! Crash! Thud!*
The reason the defense line didn’t collapse despite the chaos was thanks to the efforts of the four A-rank hunters.
They roamed the main defense line, quickly moving to support areas that looked like they were about to be overrun.
“Just hold on a bit longer! Support will arrive soon, so just last until then!”
“Damage dealers! Don’t worry about mana management, just pour out your skills!”
While the tankers at the front blocked the fierce onslaught of the Crimson Tigers, the damage dealers unleashed their skills at the monsters.
The problem was that instead of decreasing, the number of monsters was actually increasing.
More were pouring out of the portal than were being killed.
“Gah! H-Healer! Heal! Heal me!”
Under the massive onslaught of the Crimson Tigers, the tankers’ health plummeted rapidly.
Although healers were providing non-stop healing, there weren’t enough of them to handle everyone.
The only saving grace was that the defense line hadn’t collapsed in the initial clash and was somehow being maintained.
Considering the composition of the hunters at the line, they were holding out surprisingly well.
***
As expected, the Dungeon Break occurred before Sung-jun’s party reached the main defense line.
“The Dungeon Break already happened! I thought it would collapse immediately, but they’re holding out better than expected.”
Looking at the strength of the main defense line, Sung-jun had judged it would be difficult to stop the intense wave of B-rank monsters.
But contrary to his expectations, although they looked overwhelmed, they were somehow maintaining the line.
“It’s probably thanks to the A-ranks. I didn’t know they would hold out this well either, so that’s a relief. Let’s not stand around; let’s hurry. We have to arrive before the line breaks.”
The main defense line covered a significant area.
Because of the intense battle, it was virtually impossible for the hunters to see which specific areas were in danger.
Yet, seeing how the A-ranks precisely supported the critical spots, they seemed to be receiving real-time reports via radio.
“But do you really have a way?”
At Yu-seon’s question, Sung-jun spoke as he ran forward.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it doesn’t collapse easily.”
In fact, Sung-jun hadn’t properly tested it yet, so he couldn’t guarantee anything.
He was confident it would become sturdy enough not to break easily, but there was no law saying the defense line couldn’t collapse.
Still, he couldn’t just back away without doing anything.
‘By the way, my debut after re-awakening is a Dungeon Break. A B-rank one at that. I wonder how far I can go against those guys.’
After re-awakening as the hidden class Wind Spirit Archer, Yu-seon hadn’t entered a dungeon once.
In other words, this was essentially her debut as a B-rank hidden class.
‘Considering it’s a hidden class, she should perform at least as well as the A-ranks over there. With my buff and enchant buffs added on top, she might just be flying through the battlefield.’
Sung-jun hadn’t seen Yu-seon fight yet, but it was common knowledge that a hidden class could produce power one rank higher than its original rank.
In other words, Yu-seon, a B-rank, could produce power comparable to an A-rank.
If she received the all-in-one buff plus the enchant buffs, she would surely show an incredible performance.
“Is that so? Well, even then, a one-shot would be impossible, right?”
“Aren’t you asking for too much? Even if those guys were dark-attribute, a one-shot would be pushing it. Especially since Crimson Tigers aren’t dark-attribute. Still, with the power of my buffs, I think four or five hits might do it.”
The A-ranks currently active at the front of the defense line were killing one Crimson Tiger in ten to fifteen hits.
Of course, the number of hits decreased when using skills, but that was their basic performance.
Assuming Yu-seon’s baseline was similar, he guessed she could hunt one in four or five hits with his buffs.
Of course, this was just a guess.
While they moved and talked, they soon reached the main defense line.
“We’re almost there! Everyone, get ready!”
Since they were very close, Sung-jun prepared to cast his buffs.
He intended to cast them the moment they entered the main line.
***
Jin Tae-jun, the Guild Master of the Zephyrus Guild, whose primary area of activity was Dangjin, was running until his feet felt like they were on fire.
An A-rank with the Crimson Assassin class, he was the person who had suggested using drones to grasp the overall situation and having the A-ranks quickly support vulnerable areas.
Fortunately, his suggestion was accepted and proved effective, allowing them to maintain the line despite the disadvantage.
But the burden on the A-ranks was immense.
And now…
‘We’re holding out for now, but at this rate, we’ll drop dead before reinforcements arrive.’
Jin Tae-jun, who had just cut down a Crimson Tiger, couldn’t help but shudder at the endless wave of monsters.
Being an assassin type, his health and defense were somewhat low, so he had to move much more to compensate.
Naturally, this took a toll on his stamina.
Furthermore, although he tried his best to manage his aura, the sheer number of Crimson Tigers made management impossible.
Above all, as time passed, the number of monsters grew exponentially, making this method of endurance hit its limit.
“Damn it! It hasn’t even been 10 minutes, and we’re already in this state.”
Only about 10 minutes had passed since the Dungeon Break occurred.
They had to hold out for at least 40 more minutes until the first support arriving by jet arrived.
At this rate, the probability of them collapsing before then seemed high.
— Guild Master Jin Tae-jun. Move to the right from your current position! The tanker line is about to break! You need to hurry! —
*Static!*
The radio transmission rang in his ear.
“Gah! Understood! I’m moving now!”
He still had some strength left, but even for an A-rank, moving like this meant they wouldn’t last long.
But what could he do?
For now, they had to block as much as they could.
The moment the line broke, it was essentially the end of the defense itself, so the A-rank hunters, including Jin Tae-jun, were gritting their teeth and holding on.
But at that moment.
*Fwaaaaah!*
A faint light seemed to permeate the area, and suddenly, power flooded through his entire body.
“Huh! W-What!”
[Buff Skill [All-in-One] has been applied.]
[Strength, Agility, and Stamina increased by +20,000 for 1 hour.]
[All elemental resistances increased by 50% for 1 hour.]
[Attack speed increased by 30% for 1 hour.]
[Attack and Defense power increased by 50% for 1 hour.]
The notification sound rang out abruptly.
According to his common sense, a buff with such ridiculous performance didn’t exist.
“W-What is this… such a buff exists? Is this even possible?”
But what could he do?
He was experiencing the effects of a buff that shattered his common sense through his own body.
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