A dungeon connected to reality through the Gate.
Those familiar with games naturally called the space inside the Gate a dungeon.
However, dungeons were known by other names as well.
The Frozen World.
The reason was simple.
Everything breathing inside the dungeon felt so vivid that it could be called a world in itself.
The landscape that the five had just crossed over could prove that by how it touched their skin.
“Lord Kalian! He hasn’t abandoned us!”
“The Great God must have been moved by our offerings!”
Clutching their respective faiths, the people embraced each other.
Their expressions, actions, and breaths—all were proof that they were alive.
They were definitely human, only from a different era.
Of course, not all dungeons housed civilizations with intelligent beings like this one.
But the place the party had stepped into was undoubtedly what Hunters called the Frozen World.
‘Even if the monsters blocking us aren’t the issue, this won’t be easy.’
Namjin’s words echoed repeatedly in Taehoo’s mind.
He had only taken them as a warning about Jiuk, but could it have meant something else?
According to Taehoo, there was no way to know what was inside a dungeon before entering it.
Once you entered, there was no way out until you cleared it, that much was certain.
Though Namjin’s composure was well known, this time Taehoo was impressed by his foresight.
‘A giant who alone endured a world changed since the First Generation Hunter.’
Taehoo reminded himself of the meaning behind that.
[Quest has arrived!]
The message window appeared next.
Looking around, it seemed that everyone standing together had received the quest.
[Great God Kalian, Their Hero]
Description – Here lies a village driven to the brink of destruction by a monster invasion. The villagers offer tributes and prayers to their god, Kalian, with hopes of salvation.
At that moment, you appeared before their eyes! To the survivors, you are the heroes of the god! Save them from the catastrophe brought by the monstrous horde!
Clear Condition – Be recognized as heroes by the villagers and fend off the final wave!
Reward – ???
The quest summarized the current situation and future goal concisely.
Additionally, the reward being listed as ??? was typical for dungeon quests.
Hidden clear conditions or variables within would constantly alter the reward, so it remained unknown until completion.
‘Heroes of a god…’
If one compared the Constellation to a god, it wasn’t too different.
Only the gazes directed at him felt a bit burdensome.
Just then,
“Are you really heroes?”
“You’ve come to save us, right…?”
Those embracing each other now began to focus on Taehoo’s party.
All were newcomers to dungeons and had never dreamed such a situation would unfold, so the party visibly faltered.
That must have seemed odd to the villagers’ eyes.
If the apostles who came to save them were true, it was natural to assume they knew everything beforehand.
Just as Taehoo was about to speak,
“Y-Yes! We are indeed heroes!”
A booming voice struck the ears.
The owner of the voice was Jiho.
He spread his arms wide, fully acting the savior.
[What’s this?]
Even Ba’al was taken aback and added a comment.
He seemed to have studied these kinds of dungeons a bit,
which must be why he stepped forward with such confidence.
Taehoo looked at Jiho, curious to see how it would play out.
“We are the envoys sent by the god to save his faithful!”
Mana filled Jiho’s loud voice.
[Heh…!]
Ba’al burst out laughing in his mind, and the other four had to bow their heads to hold back laughter.
“Our apostles will save you!”
Jiho finished his declaration, and
“Waaaaah!”
A thunderous cheer echoed all around.
The sound of hope for survival pierced the ears.
Then,
‘Did I do well?’
Jiho turned his head to the party with a triumphant expression.
Taehoo lowered his head deeply and gave a thumbs-up.
Thanks to Jiho’s performance, the party had become the apostles who would save the village, and the people never doubted it for a second.
The village chief, who represented the villagers in bowing, was no different.
“Truly, truly, thank you. To receive such a direct response…”
The old man with white hair shed tears of gratitude,
“Y-You must understand, it’s because your hearts are sincere and admirable. Do not worry, chief. Now that we are here, there will be no problem.”
Despite the urge to laugh, it was genuinely an admirable improvisation.
‘I hadn’t planned on going this easy.’
But this seemed like a better direction after all.
Just as the situation settled for a moment,
[Player ingress confirmed!]
[First wave begins!]
[Quest failure if more than five villagers die!]
Failure meant death.
As if the announcement was over, countless Pocket Dimensions sprouted all around outside the village.
Though the events occurred out of normal sight, the party with awakened abilities could clearly sense it.
Monsters poured out from within the Pocket Dimensions, quickly surrounding the village.
Gwoaaah!
As the inhuman creatures started making noise, the villagers finally grasped the situation.
Cheers turned into screams, and horrifying memories that repeated again and again surfaced in their minds.
The result was panic.
A moment that was meant for salvation turned into chaos in an instant.
‘Was our appearance summoned for this moment when they made the offering?’
Taehoo read the situation.
This was the best timing to make the humans who crossed through the Gate heroes all at once,
and the perfect moment to test the abilities of the Hunters who had stepped in.
Whether they succeeded or failed depended on how well they could command the people.
The situation was a clear preview of that.
Taehoo didn’t miss the hints the dungeon gave.
‘They must have faced numerous monster invasions before. The fact that this many survived means there has to be a shelter to hide in.’
As Taehoo made his judgment,
“Is there a shelter where we can hide from the monsters’ sight?”
He hurriedly asked the old man who had just shown tears.
“Yes, yes! There is. We usually live there, but we prayed here with hope as our last straw…”
“Enough explanation. If there’s a shelter, move the people there immediately. Quickly!”
Taehoo cut off the old man and shouted.
Being the village chief, he must have been a proven leader with a sense of responsibility.
The old man shouted to the trembling villagers to head to the shelter, and it had an effect.
Taehoo’s prediction was spot on.
The villagers regained unity one by one after the old man’s words.
‘Good, now all we have to do is protect them.’
Taehoo looked back at the party.
“Everyone, did you check the quest? We protect the villagers. Not a single person is to be harmed.”
It was still unknown whether the failure condition was reset with each wave or continued.
Therefore, they had to steer the situation as positively as possible.
Losing the count in the first wave and carrying that into the next was unacceptable.
“For now, we’re only seeing low-grade Demonic Energy monsters. We can definitely stop them. Each block a choke point.”
The four who had been hesitating came to their senses as Taehoo organized the situation.
Jiho, who had shown the best form since entering the dungeon, was no exception.
An evacuation line was quickly formed, and the party designated zones to protect the people.
Taehoo’s quick judgment shone through.
But he didn’t stop there. He climbed the highest building—the watchtower—to secure a view.
‘About a thousand monsters. Types…’
On the ground were Hellhounds—Cerberus.
In the sky, Gargoyles.
The wave boss had yet to show itself.
‘They won’t appear right from the start, huh.’
Wave dungeons usually ended when all monsters of a wave were killed or after defeating the wave boss, who was weaker than the raid boss.
Taehoo climbed the watchtower both to gauge the scale of the enemy and to check for the wave boss.
Kyeeeek!
As Taehoo finished assessing, the monsters began moving.
The sight of gargoyles swarming the sky like bats and Cerberus the size of humans with three heads rushing forward was the hellscape he had always imagined.
Novice Hunters avoided demonic subspecies for good reason.
To ordinary humans, demonic subspecies were terrifying monsters in their purest form.
If only one could face that sight without fear.
‘Gargoyles and Cerberus are merely mindless cannon fodder among the demonic subspecies.’
He could objectively assess the opponent’s strength.
They were beasts driven purely by instinct.
‘For such creatures, showing a difference in strength is best.’
How effective would his power be inside the dungeon?
It was a curiosity settled deep in Taehoo’s mind since he hadn’t experienced it yet.
Holding the Fallen Flower Sword atop the abandoned watchtower, Taehoo breathed Aura into it.
Was it because he had entered the dungeon?
The black part of the sword wrapped in Demonic Energy flowed out thicker than usual.
Like returning home, his Aura surged with power.
The intent within was clear.
Kill intent.
If it was directed at monsters, there was no reason to refuse it.
Taehoo swung the Fallen Flower Sword enveloped in Aura through the air.
[Skill ‘One-Stroke Severance’ activated!]
The force cleaved even the Heavenly Lake in two. It was a slash that seemed capable of cutting through the night sky.
It was a secret technique Taehoo had only used against powerful foes until now.
Not because it suited only strong opponents,
but because his caliber cleaved the earth itself.
It struck the gargoyles flying overhead and the Cerberus salivating and lunging with its three heads.
Half of the demons rushing into the village were erased in a single strike.
Only a large scar remained on the ground where One-Stroke Severance passed.
“Wh-What was that…”
The party, who had been swiftly cutting down monsters, was shocked to see Taehoo’s attack.
The villagers heading toward the shelter were even more stunned.
Even the demons rushing forward boldly froze for a moment at the overwhelming difference in power.
[50% of the first wave monsters have been exterminated!]
Extermination.
Taehoo’s strike was overwhelmingly fitting of the term.
Taehoo shouted again.
“Now, hurry into the shelter!”
Like Jiho, he infused his voice with mana from the watchtower.
“Move quickly!”
The old man shouted after him,
“Move!”
“Get inside!”
The Twins of the Joo Family shouted in turn.
They stabbed their swords into the Cerberus heads, and Seongcheol cut the wings of the gargoyles flying overhead.
‘How do I even kill that monster?’
The scene Taehoo was unfolding before Seongcheol was enough to drain one’s will.
But,
‘I can’t give up… I can’t fail. I must kill here.’
For his younger brother’s sake. For not sending his family back to the sewers.
Seongcheol gritted his teeth.
Suppressing his impatience, he stabbed the head of a Cerberus lunging toward him with his sword.
Unbeknownst to Seongcheol, even that mindset was Taehoo’s intention.
After realizing the difference in power, tension and impatience only led to more mistakes.
‘We must be prepared.’
If anyone tried to attack from behind for whatever reason, he would show no mercy.
Taehoo glanced briefly at Seongcheol before turning his gaze back to the monsters.
He jumped down from the watchtower and charged in a straight line along the line made by One-Stroke Severance.
Like a wolf let loose among a flock of sheep, Taehoo rampaged.
The sound of tearing echoed everywhere, and the monsters screamed.
A massacre.
There was no other way to describe the scene.
The monsters were utterly pitiful against the Hunters of the Nam Clan.
Especially against Taehoo.
Some villagers forgot to enter the shelter, mesmerized by the spectacle.
The monsters tormenting them were being slaughtered.
It was a sight that gave them enough hope to survive.
But at the same time, they felt fear.
Unusual beings naturally brought vague unease.
Especially if those beings wielded power resembling demons.
Even amid this carnage, Taehoo vaguely sensed the emotions directed toward him.
[70% of the first wave monsters have been annihilated!]
As the notification appeared,
[Demons detect the presence of Archdemon’s aura.]
[The Demon’s Follower appears!]
Rrrr
The ground trembled.
From the cracked earth cleaved by Taehoo’s power, a massive hand stretched out.
[Demon Ten Commander Koolan has appeared!]
Archdemon aura.
‘They detected the aura of an Archdemon? What does that mean… Could it be…!’
Since his return, there had been a constant presence alongside Taehoo.
Ba’al.
With a middle schooler’s tone and always spouting nonsense, often forgotten, but
undeniably the number one-ranked Archdemon.
[Demon Ten Commander Koolan claims the first wave boss position!]
[Dungeon difficulty increased!]
They faced an unforeseen variable.
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