Chapter 69: Special Dungeon—5

The angel statue, which had been holding its hands together as if in prayer, completely shattered.

A red light flashed from the eyes of the stone figure they had thought was an ordinary statue.

Sssssss.

The statue's hands, which had been twitching slightly, began to sprout one by one.

The two hands had now multiplied into six.

'So that's what the special condition was.'

Kim Hyeon-jun was checking the additional hologram that had appeared before his eyes.

[Special Condition: No monsters approach within 30m of the angel statue. (Satisfied)]

It meant they had blocked the monster waves so well that the statue itself had become a monster.

"I've never seen a monster like this before."

"Yes. Me neither. For the thing we were supposed to protect to turn into a monster..."

It seemed this was a first for Second Lieutenant Yu Chae-min and Second Lieutenant Kim Dong-woo as well.

They had some experience clearing defense-type special dungeons, but a case like this was new.

Well.

That made sense.

Even within the same type of special dungeon, there were many varieties, and the internal environments were all different.

"Let's first gauge its strength."

"Right."

Second Lieutenant Yu Chae-min nodded at Second Lieutenant Kim Dong-woo's words.

The three, including Kim Hyeon-jun, exchanged glances and the battle began.

Kwoong!

"Hup!"

Second Lieutenant Kim Dong-woo managed to block the hand thrust by the angel statue, but he couldn't hold out for long.

Because its strength was beyond expectations.

"Grrk! This bastard, what kind of strength...!"

While Second Lieutenant Kim Dong-woo barely twisted his body to deflect the blow, Second Lieutenant Yu Chae-min and Kim Hyeon-jun simultaneously charged in.

Of course, the process wasn't easy.

The statue's extended arms targeted each of them.

'It's manageable to dodge.'

Kim Hyeon-jun evaded the angel statue's attacks and closed in within his spear's range.

It would have taken more time if he were alone.

This was an opportunity created because the two platoon leaders had dispersed the monster's attacks.

He immediately settled his stance, wrapped his spear in mana, and used Spiral Thrust.

A horizontal slash delivered with a full-body rotation.

Ting!

It was effective, but it didn't deal significant damage to the angel statue.

At best, a slight crack appeared on its torso.

'Sigh. It's tougher than it looks.'

All his specs were higher than when he used it before, so the power of Spiral Thrust was also in a strengthened state.

Even so, his hands were tingling.

Was that thing just highly resistant to physical attacks?

Or was it simply a damage sponge?

Or perhaps both.

Since Kim Hyeon-jun was also seeing this monster for the first time, he needed time to observe.

"Lieutenants! I think its attack pattern has three variations!"

After about thirty minutes of battle, the outline of the angel statue's abilities began to take shape.

Its attacks were roughly three types.

Physical attacks with its six extended hands.

A magic attack that shot a straight beam of light by flapping its wings.

And a physical attack where it flapped its wings greatly, rose into the air, and slammed down with its body.

In Kim Hyeon-jun's estimation, it seemed safe enough for the troops staying back to provide supporting fire now.

'Even the beam attack dissipated after flying a short distance.'

There were practically no long-range attacks.

They probably didn't need to worry about the other soldiers getting caught in the crossfire.

"Hmm."

At Kim Hyeon-jun's report, the two lieutenants also nodded in agreement.

The angel statue's attacks were dangerous if hit directly even once, but they were manageable enough.

However, taking it down from their side would require a lot of time.

'Dragging this out longer will only cost us.'

The soldiers were already exhausted.

The officers too, though they weren't showing it outwardly, had lost quite a bit of stamina.

They needed to finish this quickly.

There was the option of escaping the dungeon as a last resort... but that really had to be saved as the absolute final measure.

If they left without clearing the dungeon, they'd have to start over from the beginning.

That meant throwing away all the effort of over three grueling days.

That's how special dungeons worked.

"Magic troops and archers, prepare to provide covering fire on the monster!"

"...Yes!"

"Don't hold back on firepower! Pour it on! This is the last one! Give it your all!"

"Understood!"

At the lieutenants' orders, the magic troops and archers who had been taking cover closed the distance to the angel statue.

While the soldiers moved into effective range, Kim Hyeon-jun and the two lieutenants kept the monster's feet tied down.

"We're ready!"

"Now! Fire!"

At Second Lieutenant Kim Dong-woo's timed command, volleys of arrows and various attack spells poured onto the angel statue.

The effect was clear.

Cracks began to spread across its body.

Not only that.

Under the bombardment-level attacks raining down consecutively, it even began to stagger.

"As expected, there's no beating a good old-fashioned gang-up."

With over twenty people squeezing out every bit of strength to attack, there was no way it wouldn't take damage.

Kwoong!

The monster staggered and then, at some point, fell to one knee.

The decisive attack was Corporal Park Ye-rin's magic.

She had been firing icicle-shaped frost magic from a distance when, at one moment, she cast a powerful spell.

A small ice crystal flew and attached itself to the angel statue's body.

Crackle. Crack.

"Frost."

Simultaneous with her activation word, the angel statue began to freeze over from the center of its body.

Its movements noticeably slowed.

Kim Hyeon-jun, who wouldn't miss that opening, poured mana into his spear.

'Annihilation Spear.'

He activated the skill simultaneously.

The mana enveloping the spear turned an even darker black.

A skill that boasted powerful force, but with a consumption cost to match.

But that was the story when unleashing its full power.

After previously using Annihilation Spear to kill the Ice Troll, Kim Hyeon-jun had trained intermittently to control its power output.

'One thrust should be enough.'

Stage 1: one thrust.

Stage 2: two thrusts.

Stage 3: three thrusts.

Since he didn't fully understand Annihilation Spear yet, this was a compromise of his own making.

"Lieutenants! I'll go first!"

After exchanging glances with the two lieutenants, Kim Hyeon-jun kicked off the ground and charged at the angel statue.

There was no telling when it might recover.

Therefore, Kim Hyeon-jun had also used Fighting Spirit to enhance his physical abilities.

The Fighting Spirit gauge accumulated during the monster battle was about 60%.

Fwaat!

Kim Hyeon-jun shot forward as if launched in a straight line.

Consuming the Fighting Spirit gauge, the temporarily enhanced stats made him move even faster.

And then followed a single thrust.

The angel statue's body was pierced deeply.

Simultaneously, its body stiffened as if frozen.

"...Did we get it?"

Second Lieutenant Yu Chae-min muttered unconsciously.

"Wait a moment... something's off!"

Second Lieutenant Kim Dong-woo, who had been observing the statue, narrowed his eyes.

It seemed like the situation was over, but it wasn't.

Because no hologram appeared even after waiting.

The change appeared then.

The angel statue's body began to swell up like a balloon.

As if it was about to burst.

"Lieutenants! We need to get away from here, fast!"

At Kim Hyeon-jun's words, the two lieutenants exchanged glances and quickly began to move away from the spot.

Kim Hyeon-jun also squeezed out his remaining strength and ran hard.

Pwooong!

Less than five seconds after they practically leaped down the stairs, the angel statue exploded with a tremendous blast.

The aftermath of the shock was considerable.

The massive temple collapsed all at once.

The three who had been directly facing the angel statue were thrown by the blast's shockwave and had to roll across the sandy ground.

"Guh! Feels like someone punched my stomach hard."

"...I feel like someone kicked mine."

"Have you ever seen a crazy monster like this? Self-destructing at the end?"

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.

Though sand had gotten all over their mouths and inside their uniforms.

Before the shockwave's effects had even fully subsided, a hologram appeared before the soldiers.

[The dungeon has been cleared.]

Only then did the message appear.

The moment the eighty-hour dungeon raid had ended.

"Second Lieutenant Kim Dong-woo. Sergeant Kim Hyeon-jun, you'll have to manage him well."

At Second Lieutenant Yu Chae-min's words, who was lying face-down on the sand from the blast's aftermath, Second Lieutenant Kim Dong-woo gave an awkward smile.

"Even without that, there's more than one or two units trying to snatch Hyeon-jun away."

How many unexpected situations had occurred during the dungeon raid?

They had managed to get through all of them with little damage.

The situation just now was the same.

The two lieutenants had no choice but to acknowledge that Kim Hyeon-jun's contribution to that was significant.

"Lieutenant. Are you alright?"

"Is it all over now?"

"Huh? Look over there!"

Meanwhile.

The soldiers helping the lieutenants and Kim Hyeon-jun up were bewildered by the successive changes.

That bewilderment soon turned into cheers.

"Isn't that magic stones?"

"Crazy! Magic stones are pouring down like rain!"

Magic stones raining from the sky like a downpour.

[The Angel Statue has been slain.]

[Rewards are being distributed.]

The reward settlement for slaying the angel statue had begun.

"We're fine, everyone go collect the magic stones."

"Yes!"

At the lieutenants' order, the soldiers began meticulously packing the magic stones into their military backpacks.

"It's a bonus party!"

"We should have a frozen party today!"

Even from a glance, the number of magic stones was substantial.

No matter how stingy the Hunter Army's performance bonuses were, that amount was enough to cover several months' salary for the soldiers.

"Huh?"

"What's that?"

And something also appeared for the two lieutenants and Kim Hyeon-jun, who had directly faced the statue.

A small, gem-like sparkling object flew to them and floated in the air.

The aura of an item was palpable at a glance.

Second Lieutenant Kim Dong-woo, having composed himself, used a simple measuring device and was subsequently surprised.

Because they had obtained a Unique item.

[Angel's Tear]

A tear containing the vestige of an angel.

Contains divine power.

Grade: Unique

Angel's Tear.

An essential material needed for crafting divine power equipment.

An item that would make military chaplains or religious affairs soldiers go crazy if they saw it.

It was the same for civilian guilds.

If that were put up for auction, they would undoubtedly pour money to get it.

"This should make our bonuses quite substantial too, right?"

"You're telling me. Haha."

In principle, items obtained during a dungeon raid must be reported and then submitted to the unit.

Only at times like these did they regret their military status, but what could they do?

If military forces hadn't been deployed, they might not have been able to clear it.

Even civilian guilds couldn't avoid item distribution issues.

'Hmm. It doesn't seem particularly necessary for me.'

Kim Hyeon-jun was also surprised by the appearance of a Unique item, but only briefly.

Since he already possessed a spear imbued with divine power, it wasn't an item he particularly needed.

'No. Actually, this is better.'

If an item he really needed had appeared... wouldn't that have been more painful?

Since he'd have to submit it anyway.

'I'm more curious about this, though.'

Kim Hyeon-jun's interest had already shifted elsewhere, specifically to the hologram window that had appeared before his eyes.

[Your level has increased.]

[All stats have increased due to level up!]

[1,500 gold acquired for slaying the monster.]

A euphoric sensation settling into his body along with the messages.

And strength.

His level had increased thanks to this dungeon raid.

Up to level 5, the difference wasn't strongly felt, but from level 6 onwards, he could feel it distinctly.

This was the feeling of leveling up.

'If the named monster and the angel statue hadn't appeared, I wouldn't have reached level 6.'

A situation where the variables inside the dungeon had actually turned to his benefit.

Especially the angel statue, where the two lieutenants and other soldiers also attacked, splitting the experience.

Even so, he could feel the experience bar had risen even after reaching level 6.

That meant it had to be considered quite strong among monsters.

At minimum, wasn't it as strong as a level 6 boss monster?

'I didn't expect it to explode at the end.'

Anyway, they finished with no major casualties and acquired rewards larger than expected, so it could be called a successful dungeon raid.

---

"Everyone, take a thirty-minute rest as you are."

"You've all worked hard for over three days. You all did well."

"Lieutenants, you worked hard too!"

The soldiers collapsed onto the floor as soon as they exited the dungeon.

"Haa... finally over."

"I don't even have the strength to walk now."

"I could sleep right here all day."

Everyone looked a mess.

Maybe soldiers returning from war looked like that.

Many soldiers had their combat uniforms torn from blocking monster waves, and there were numerous minor injuries as well.

An already difficult raid became even harder with unexpected situations arising.

Of course, the soldiers didn't feel the unexpected situations as keenly.

Because Kim Hyeon-jun and the lieutenants had pretty much handled them.

"My level went up."

"You too? Mine went up as well."

Though they suffered, eating, sleeping, and fighting inside the dungeon, the harvest was commensurate.

The levels of the soldiers who participated in this raid had increased.

'We've been killing monsters for days on end; there's no way they wouldn't go up.'

Even Kim Hyeon-jun, who was level 5, had leveled up.

That was why many soldiers wanted to participate in raid teams when special dungeons occurred.

Because what you gained was proportional to the hardship.

'And I gained more experience than I expected.'

He could say with certainty that there wasn't a single sergeant in the entire Hunter Army at level 6.

Because level 6 was officer-level.

'I want to return quickly and check my status window once.'

How much had his stats increased?

What skills or equipment were available for purchase in the Hidden Trait store?

Seeing the Hidden Trait window blinking gave him a sense of anticipation.

'That looks like a notification for completing a mission or something.'

He wished the rest period would end quickly.