Fifty minutes had passed since the Dungeon Break began.
The defensive line remained firm.
The Crimson Tigers that entered the Sanctuary could not exert their original strength, while the Hunters within the Sanctuary were growing even stronger thanks to Seong-jun’s buffs.
Furthermore, Gwang-taek’s tanking, which covered a surprisingly wide area, and Yu-seon’s constant, powerful damage dealing played a significant role in reducing the burden on other tanks.
Seong-jun was also focusing more on offense than his support role.
His only buff was All-in-One, which lasted for a full hour.
Since he had also cast Healing Light, a continuous healing skill, the other healers were more than capable of managing the life force of the melee classes unless an unexpected variable created a crisis.
In other words, there was no separate supporting role for him to play.
Therefore, he played aggressively, centering his attacks on a barrage of Holy Arrows.
*Swoosh! Swoosh!*
*Boom! Rumble! Crash!*
The central area was the most intense part of the main defensive line.
Because Seong-jun’s party held their ground firmly in the center, the left and right regions became relatively easier to manage.
Moreover, the A-rankers did not need to roam the entire defensive line; they split into pairs and limited their activity to the left and right, making it much simpler to maintain the perimeter.
“Phew! They’re swarming like crazy. Anyway, maybe it’s because I’m using skills the moment the cooldowns end, but I’m consuming a massive amount of Aura. If the Sanctuary didn’t have the effect of increasing Aura recovery, I would have run out long ago.”
Given the situation, it wasn’t the time to save skills.
Since she was firing them off as soon as they were ready, she naturally consumed a lot of Aura.
If it weren’t for the Aura recovery boost provided by the Sanctuary, her reserves would have been depleted already.
“How much Aura do you have left?”
When Seong-jun asked, Yu-seon checked her status and replied.
“I have about 20% left.”
“What about you, Brother Gwang-taek?”
“I’m still okay. I think I have about 40% left.”
Gwang-taek had been constantly using skills ranging from Chains of Light to various aggro and defensive abilities, so his Aura had dropped below half before he knew it.
“Just bear with it a little longer. The first wave of reinforcements should be arriving soon. Once they get here, let’s step back and rest.”
Since the initial buffs were nearing their end anyway, Seong-jun planned to cast wide-area buffs and continuous healing on the reinforcements once they arrived, then step back to catch his breath.
Even if it wasn’t their main forces, three of the country’s top ten guilds were coming.
Seong-jun judged that with his buffs, there wouldn’t be any issues maintaining the line.
Of course, even now, it didn’t look like the line would collapse immediately just because his party stepped out.
However, at that moment.
“Roaaaaar!”
A powerful roar, unlike any other Crimson Tiger, echoed through the air.
“Hah! It—it’s an Elite! An Elite has appeared!”
An Elite monster had joined the fray.
“Dammit! The Crimson Tigers’ offensive has become even more fierce since that thing showed up!”
“It’s likely an Elite that uses buff-type skills! Everyone, stay sharp!”
Simultaneously with the Elite Crimson Tiger’s appearance, the regular monsters’ attacks grew more vicious.
It wasn’t just the intensity of the attacks; the weakening effects of the Sanctuary seemed to be partially offset.
“Seong-jun. Their movements have changed, not just their strength. It looks like the Elite is controlling the others.”
Just as Gwang-taek said, they hadn’t just become stronger; their movements were now more systematic.
That meant they would be much harder to deal with.
‘The fact that an Elite appeared means we’re about halfway through. That means the wave will continue for nearly another hour. If the Sanctuary disappears in this state… we might hold, but it’ll be a tight squeeze.’
The Sanctuary, along with the buffs, was nearing its expiration time.
Even with the All-in-One buff, the Hunters would weaken once the Sanctuary vanished, while the Crimson Tigers would grow stronger.
It was obvious that the battle would become grueling for the Hunters who now had to face even more powerful monsters due to the Elite.
Yu-seon, who had just fired an arrow, looked at Seong-jun and asked, “Would it be too difficult to just rush in, kill the Elite, and pull back?”
Seong-jun pondered her words.
“Hmm, it’s possible, but it seems a bit dangerous…”
Striking and retreating seemed feasible, but the problem was the significant risk involved.
They could easily end up surrounded by monsters.
“Reinforcements are arriving soon anyway, right? Can’t we just wait and let them handle it? Or we could deal with it together. Regardless, trying to do it with just us doesn’t seem right.”
Gwang-taek judged it better to resolve the situation after the reinforcements arrived rather than take unnecessary risks.
To be blunt, hadn’t they already done enough by holding a defensive line that could have crumbled at any moment?
“I agree. Just as Brother Gwang-taek said, I don’t think we should step out now. It’s not an emergency that requires such a risk. Even if the Sanctuary is deactivated, it’s not like we won’t be able to hold.”
Seong-jun agreed with Gwang-taek’s opinion.
Above all else, safety was the priority.
Of course, there were times when one had to risk their life, but Seong-jun judged that this was not one of those times.
“Who said we should? I was just asking if it was possible. I have no intention of volunteering for a life-threatening risk either.”
Yu-seon wasn’t insisting on doing it; she was merely curious about the possibility, so she didn’t raise any objections.
Of course, even as they spoke, they continued to fight the Crimson Tigers incessantly.
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
“Roar!”
“Oh? How dare you!”
*Crash! Boom!*
Though the Crimson Tigers attacked more fiercely with the appearance of the Elite, they were nowhere near strong enough to break through Gwang-taek’s powerful defense, nor could they withstand the biting attacks from Yu-seon and Seong-jun.
As they maintained this balance of engagement while casually conversing…
“Mr. Seong-jun!”
Someone approached, calling Seong-jun’s name.
Seong-jun turned his head to identify the person.
“Oh? Guild Master Yoo Se-hyeon?”
The person calling him was none other than Yoo Se-hyeon of the Glory Guild.
“Hahaha, I can’t tell you how surprised I was to hear you were here. Ah! Mr. Gwang-taek and Ms. Yu-seon are here too. I heard the three of you have been performing magnificently.”
“It just happened to turn out that way. But was the Glory Guild really one of those guilds flying in on a private jet?”
There was no other reason for Yoo Se-hyeon to appear here so suddenly, especially right when the first reinforcements were scheduled to arrive.
“Yes. Originally, I should have been inside a dungeon, but I had postponed my hunting due to personal business. I received the call about the Dungeon Break right at that moment. My personal business has been pushed back even further because of it.”
“I see. Then have the other guilds arrived as well?”
Yoo Se-hyeon shook his head at Seong-jun’s question.
“We departed from the airfield at similar times, but since we didn’t know what the situation would be like, we pushed our speed. The other guilds should arrive within ten minutes.”
He had sped up because of Seong-jun, but since saying that outright was a bit awkward, he claimed he did it because the situation seemed urgent.
“I see. Well, that’s good. The regular monsters have grown stronger because of the Elite, and the Sanctuary’s duration was almost up.”
Hearing Seong-jun’s words, Yoo Se-hyeon spoke as if to reassure him.
“Now that we’re here, you won’t have much to worry about.”
He then shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Everyone, to your designated positions! We are taking the center!”
As soon as Yoo Se-hyeon’s command was given, the members of the Glory Guild began to move quickly.
“Tanks to the front! Relieve the existing tanks!”
*Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!*
The tanks belonging to the Glory Guild moved to where the previous tanks were and swiftly swapped positions with them.
Naturally, Gwang-taek also handed over his position and retreated.
*Boom! Crash!*
The Glory Guild tanks blocked the Crimson Tigers’ attacks immediately upon switching.
Currently, the C-rank tanks who had received Seong-jun’s buffs should have had much higher basic stats, yet the B-rank tanks from the Glory Guild, who had not received any buffs, appeared even more stable.
This was quite different from the B-rank tanks belonging to the small and medium-sized guilds that had been here; it was a clear demonstration of how a super-large guild differed from the rest.
‘I see. Is it difficult to overcome the gap in rank simply by increasing basic stats? The B-rankers from the Glory Guild, even without buffs, are much more stable than the C-rank tanks who received my buffs.’
Watching them, Seong-jun felt the gap between ranks once again.
Starting with the tanks, the melee damage dealers, ranged attackers, and healers in the center were replaced one by one with members of the Glory Guild.
Of course, the Glory Guild did not have enough members to cover the entire center, so some of the original Hunters remained in place, while others took a temporary break for rotation.
The remaining personnel were sent to the left and right to reinforce the defensive lines.
Once the central rotation was completed stably, Yoo Se-hyeon turned to Seong-jun.
“Once the Garion and Hellfire guilds arrive in a moment, the defensive line will become much stronger than it is now. And the moment the main force from Seoul joins us, we plan to transition into a full-scale offensive.”
Since the Glory Guild had arrived first and taken the center, Garion and Hellfire would likely take positions on the left and right when they arrived.
Once three of the top ten guilds in the country became the backbone of the main defensive line, the perimeter would be held much more stably, and the surplus personnel could be deployed to the sub-defensive lines.
That alone would be enough to hold out until the main force arrived from Seoul.
“I see. That’s a relief.”
“Ah! By the way, are you heading back to Seoul immediately after this incident is over?”
Seong-jun shook his head at Yoo Se-hyeon’s question.
“No. I originally came here for a one-day trip with my aunt and uncle to get some fresh air. My aunt and uncle are currently at the Sinduri Shelter. Since it’s late, I think we’ll stay the night here and head up tomorrow.”
“Ah! Is that so? Then let’s have lunch together tomorrow. Your aunt and uncle as well. There’s a restaurant I visit every time I stop by Taean. The food is delicious and quite nice.”
Yoo Se-hyeon planned to use this opportunity to build a closer relationship with Seong-jun.
This way, if Seong-jun ever decided to join a guild in the future, the Glory Guild would be the first one on his mind.
“Haha, shall we?”
“Hahaha, then consider it a promise. Anyway, we’ll hold the line here, so go to the back and rest for a while.”
Since Gwang-taek and Yu-seon’s Aura had already fallen below half, they had intended to rest and recover their energy anyway.
“Ah, yes. I need to recover some Divine Power too, and Brother Gwang-taek and Yu-seon are low on Aura, so we were planning to rest. I’ll cast a round of buffs once the other guilds arrive and then head out.”
The All-in-One and Healing Light effects were nearing their end. Since the Sanctuary had a long cooldown, he couldn’t use it again immediately, but the others were ready.
He intended to cast them once the remaining guilds arrived and then retreat.
“Oh! I’ve heard about it. They say the defensive line was able to hold because of your buffs, Mr. Seong-jun.”
“It’s more thanks to everyone’s hard work than just my buffs.”
While Seong-jun was conversing with Yoo Se-hyeon…
*Screech! Screech!*
Vehicles from other guilds came to a halt in a line behind the defensive perimeter.
“Garion and Hellfire have arrived!”
The other two guilds that had flown in on private jets had finally arrived.
‘Well, they haven’t joined the line yet, but they’re within the range of the Wide-Area Mode, so it shouldn’t matter if I just cast it now.’
Although they were just getting out of their cars, they were already within range, so he decided there was no need to wait until they joined the defensive line.
“It looks like everyone is here, so I’ll cast the buffs now.”
After saying that, he quickly cast his buff and continuous healing skills.
‘All-in-One, Wide-Area Mode! Healing Light, Wide-Area Mode!’
*Whoosh!*
A wave of light spread out in all directions from Seong-jun in an instant.
As All-in-One and Healing Light were cast once more, the Hunters receiving them for the first time could not hide their bewilderment.
“Huh! Wh—what is this? How can a buff be this monstrous?”
“Wow! Basic stats increased by over 20,000? Is a buff like this actually possible?”
“Whoa! I’m overflowing with power! No wonder the C-rankers could hold out against B-rank monsters. Was a buff always this amazing?”
As the level increased to three, the basic stat boost rose from 20,000 to 25,000, and the other options also increased by 5% each.
Perhaps because of this, even the Hunters who had already received it before were in awe of the new All-in-One.
“Huh? The increase is even higher than before! The basic stats went from 20,000 to 25,000!”
“I was feeling anxious because the buff was almost over, but now he’s given us an even stronger one.”
At the same time, a welcome notification rang for Seong-jun.
**[The active skill [All-in-One] has been applied to 607 people.]**
**[The level of the active skill [All-in-One] has increased from 2 to 3.]**
**[The active skill [Healing Light] has been applied to 607 people.]**
**[The level of the active skill [Healing Light] has increased from 5 to 6.]**
The levels of All-in-One and Healing Light had increased.
‘Oh! A skill level up! This is huge. If I use it one more time later, I’m not sure about Healing Light since it’s already Level 6, but All-in-One will definitely level up again.’
At the very least, it looked like All-in-One, which had just reached Level 3, would easily reach Level 4 if he used it again once the main force from Seoul arrived.
Meanwhile, Yoo Se-hyeon, who had experienced Seong-jun’s buff firsthand, stared with wide eyes.
“Phew! So this is the rumored buff. It’s… it’s truly incredible. I’ve received quite a few buffs in my time, but I’ve never seen anything like this. How can a buff be this grand?”
Yoo Se-hyeon had received buffs from S-rank buffers before, but none of them displayed such monstrous performance.
What on earth was this nonsensical buff?
Setting everything else aside, Seong-jun’s value would clearly skyrocket based on All-in-One alone.
Not to mention, isn’t Seong-jun’s primary class a Healer?
To the stunned Yoo Se-hyeon, Seong-jun spoke as if it were no big deal.
“With this, we should be able to hold out until the main force arrives, right? Even if the Elite is there. We’ll be heading to the back to rest for a while.”
Although the Sanctuary’s deactivation was imminent, three of the country’s top ten guilds had arrived.
If they became the main force defending the line, it didn’t seem likely the line would collapse even after the Sanctuary disappeared.
Thus, he planned to retreat to catch his breath and recover his mana.
“Ah! Yes! Of course. And don’t forget our lunch appointment tomorrow.”
Yoo Se-hyeon mentioned the lunch appointment again, emphasizing that he shouldn’t forget.
“Naturally. Well then, we’ll be taking our leave.”
As Seong-jun, Gwang-taek, and Yu-seon retreated, the Vice Guild Master, Kang Shin-woo, hurriedly approached Yoo Se-hyeon’s side.
“Guild Master. We must recruit Kim Seong-jun, no matter what. There has never been a buff like this in the world. This alone makes him an irregular. Furthermore, if his main class is a Healer, wouldn’t his healing skills be even more incredible?”
At Kang Shin-woo’s words, Yoo Se-hyeon looked at him with a serious expression.
“Sigh, that’s why… you know I’m not exactly the most silver-tongued person, right? You should come to the lunch tomorrow as well, Vice Guild Master. According to our investigation, Mr. Seong-jun thinks of his aunt and uncle as his own parents. Since they’ll be there, wouldn’t winning them over be a great opportunity to build a rapport with him? So please, help me out.”
After deciding that Seong-jun was likely an irregular, Yoo Se-hyeon had conducted a brief investigation.
As a result, he knew that Seong-jun had lost his parents early on and regarded his aunt and uncle as his parents.
Meeting them together tomorrow was, in a way, a golden opportunity to leave a good impression on Seong-jun.
Unfortunately, while Yoo Se-hyeon was an excellent Hunter, his social skills weren’t particularly great.
That was why he intended to bring the more sociable Vice Guild Master to the lunch appointment.
“Don’t worry. In situations like that, you shouldn’t be too overbearing or too distant. I’ll find that perfect middle ground, so just trust me.”
At Guild Master Yoo Se-hyeon’s request for help, Vice Guild Master Kang Shin-woo expressed strong confidence.
***
Meanwhile, Seong-jun’s party, having retreated to the rear, immediately plopped down on the ground to rest.
“Finally, we can rest. Thanks to Seong-jun’s buffs, it wasn’t physically taxing, but the mental fatigue is quite something.”
No matter how much an advantage one has in physical ability, those buffs couldn’t affect the mental aspect.
Even if the body was fine, mental exhaustion still accumulated.
Therefore, it was better to rest at the appropriate time even if one’s life force hadn’t particularly dropped.
“Naturally. A lot of Crimson Tigers swarmed us, didn’t they? To be honest, I got sick of just looking at them.”
Over 1,000 of them had poured out so far, and at least that many more would likely follow.
Who wouldn’t be tired of seeing Crimson Tigers constantly flooding their vision?
“I poured out some pretty powerful attacks, but since their numbers didn’t seem to dwindle, I was getting a bit fed up. Ah! But look over there, Seong-jun. They must be the people who were attacked by the Crimson Tigers before we joined. Seeing their arms or legs torn off like that… it won’t be easy for them to continue being Hunters.”
Hunters who had been stationed at the very front during the first half of the Dungeon Break and had been mauled by Crimson Tigers were receiving treatment in the rear.
Among them were those whose limbs had been literally ripped off.
They weren’t cleanly cut by something sharp; they had been torn away in such a manner that they were clearly destined to live with disabilities for the rest of their lives.
Watching them, a strange expression crossed Seong-jun’s face.