“Come out.”
A magic circle was drawn with the full force of the Knights’ charge, and the Ghouls revealed themselves within it.
Before they could react, the Ghouls appeared at a speed too fast to dodge, and the Knights collided with them.
Kihihi—!
The Ghouls, charging with speed, were crushed so thoroughly that their forms became unrecognizable.
However, the Ghouls could not be killed by such brute force alone.
Almost instantly, as if they had never been hit, they recovered their original forms.
In contrast, the sudden upheaval caused several Knights to be thrown off their mounts, resulting in a significant loss of fighting strength.
“It’s a shame we missed one, but that was already anticipated.”
Keeping this situation in mind, investment was made into the Dark Knight’s equipment.
Considering there were only three Ghouls that could be summoned, knocking off four Knights was an outstanding achievement.
“The ordinary Ghouls are more of a problem than the Dark Knights.”
The Ghouls couldn’t kill Knights just by throwing them off their mounts.
They were incredibly powerful compared to Pawns.
The Dark Knight had high stats and could equip items like a normal user, but the Ghouls could not.
Their stats were somewhat weak, and they couldn’t equip gear to make up for that.
So, it was a one-on-one fight with the Knights.
Even though it seemed like a fair match now, their mana would soon run out, and Ghouls without mana would be forcibly dismissed—it was an inevitable outcome.
‘First, eliminate the fallen Knights as quickly as possible.’
At that moment, a Knight had just fallen right in front of Dahav.
Dahav gripped Kasaka’s Half-Dragon Dagger tightly, then, as if he were the grim reaper who governs life itself, he declared the Knight’s remaining time.
“1 Minute.”
The Knight’s eyes widened in shock at the sharp blade of the Half-Dragon Dagger.
He hastily raised his spear and prepared to defend.
However, because of the peculiar helmet worn by cavalry, his vision was limited to a narrow cross-shaped window, and Dahav was a hunter skilled at exploiting such weaknesses.
Before long, Dahav vanished from the Knight’s field of vision.
Kwajik—!
The Knight groaned in pain from the sharp sting felt at his side.
Kiik—
The rampage of the Half-Dragon Dagger was just beginning.
Spinning clockwise, the dagger penetrated deeper into the Knight’s interior, aiming to pierce the lungs.
Feeling his life threatened, the Knight leapt away, rolling on the ground.
After several rolls, he pushed himself up with both hands and sprang back to his feet.
“Hmm… didn’t know you could dodge that. Was that attack that weak? Or has the Half-Dragon Dagger reached its limit?”
Dahav spoke casually, and the Knight remained silent, quickly regaining his stance and lifting the longsword hanging at his waist.
“A longsword, huh? A good choice to identify the weapon’s strengths, but…”
Before he could finish his words, he searched for a gap to exploit, but found none.
The Knight’s pupils trembled as if shaken by an earthquake.
Though his arms were relaxed and without tension, it was as if he was facing a ferocious beast.
The contradiction between the apparent vulnerability before his eyes and the strange calm he maintained stirred anxiety.
But in the end, there was only one choice.
The skill gap was overwhelming. There was no alternative strategy, but he couldn’t just stand there and take it.
The Knight dragged his foot and lunged at Dahav’s heart with his longsword.
But the swift longsword suddenly stopped mid-swing.
The Knight’s eyes snapped wide open in confusion, as if asking “Why?”
Longsword and dagger.
Despite the extreme difference in reach, it was the dagger that had struck first into the heart.
“Slower than I thought.”
He hurriedly tried to retreat, but Dahav repeated the same mistake as before and did not hesitate to press his advantage like a hunter with trapped prey.
Seok—
The dagger’s sharp edge cut through the body, and the Knight collapsed.
‘43 seconds.’
It was an overwhelming victory, 17 seconds faster than the initially declared one minute, but Dahav tightened the string of his tension even further.
‘Then, narrow the target time to within 40 seconds.’
Turning his head to move and dispatch the next Knight, he was involuntarily stunned by the scene before him.
The ordinary Ghouls were in fierce combat with the Knights.
‘No matter that some were thrown off their mounts…’
The stats the Knights held were similar to a late-level 30 player.
They were a bit too much for ordinary Ghouls to handle.
In the worst case, this could mean the Ghouls were repeatedly destroyed and respawned, so Dahav quickly checked his ‘holding amount.’
But he hadn’t used that much.
Now, there was only one deduction.
“The synergy between the Sun King’s Hoplon’s Aura and Undead’s Immortality is producing an effect beyond expectations.”
Thinking on it, the reason was clear.
No matter how tough you were, if you got hit, you took damage, so anyone had to be somewhat careful with their body.
But the Undead didn’t have to worry about that.
Even if they took damage, they recovered quickly.
Thanks to that, they could unleash reckless, nonstop attacks that broke the conventional framework.
Because of that, the success rate of their skills increased significantly.
An unexpected victory brought an involuntary smile to his lips.
Still, he couldn’t let his guard down.
Dahav kept the tension string taut, continuing the fight and dispatching the Knights.
Seok—
After eliminating all four fallen Knights, as he was about to return to the Dark Knight, a message window popped up.
[All Pawns and Knights in the sixth wave have been defeated.]
[Stage 6 cleared.]
[Would you like to challenge Stage 7?]
“Did I clear them all by myself?”
Dahav’s eyes went wide like a full moon as he turned his head.
Kraaang!
The Dark Knight piled up the bodies of those burned to ashes at his feet like trophies, radiating confidence.
There was only one reason for this.
“Sure enough, it was worth the investment.”
He had easily passed through Stage 5 without fully realizing the effect.
Thanks to their sturdy defense, the Pawns’ attacks had a reverse effect.
They attacked the Dark Knight who just stood still and were killed by the reflected damage from Hoplon.
And since one Knight was also an opponent for the Ghouls, the Dark Knight alone could handle them.
“If Stage 6 is this easy?”
He could drastically shorten the time from the original plan.
Though greed swelled within him for a moment, he didn’t push it too far.
‘Still, nothing is certain. This is just a test.’
Dahav nodded his head and announced he would proceed to the next wave after a brief rest, preparing for Stage 7.
***
Seok—
The hooded Bishop collapsed along with the staff he was holding, soon falling to the ground.
The progress of the seventh wave was overwhelmingly clear.
The Bishop appeared and attacked Dahav’s vanguard with ranged magic, but still couldn’t break the Dark Knight’s defense.
Because of the Bishop’s traits, only the Pawns and stray Knights took damage.
Moreover, the Bishop was slower and clumsier than the Knights, making it much easier for Dahav to assassinate him.
He barely used half of his purchased potions and minimized damage, easily clearing Stage 7.
Thanks to this, Dahav, now reassessing his strength, felt comfortable pressing the accelerator as if he were a laser on a circuit.
And the result was immediately shown on the message window before him.
[All Pawns, Knights, and Bishop in the seventh wave have been defeated.]
[All monsters defeated. Stage 7 cleared.]
[Quest: Clear Stage 7 thirty times completed.]
[(Ex): Proof of Qualification – Confirmation’ conditions met. Report to Monk Tik to receive your quest reward.]
In just four days, Dahav succeeded in clearing the notoriously difficult Stage 7 thirty times.
Compared to Stage 5, the fatigue was incomparable, but so was the reward.
[Dahav]
- Level: 39
- Race: Human
- Class: Monster Pioneer
- Status: Strength 54 (+119) / Agility 59 (+151) / Stamina 73 (+72) / Spirit 17 (+74)
- Intelligence: 730 (+720)
- Charisma: 170 (+740)
- Special Status: Dexterity 64 (+10) / Leadership 74 (+10) / Luck 0 (+15)
The result of his hard work, Dahav’s lips curved into an emotional smile as he checked his stats window.
‘Even if you don’t count special stats, the Four Major Stats, which greatly affect combat, are comparable to rankers in the late 30s. At this level, they might even surpass Bill Helm.’
Thanks to his rare achievements, excellent equipment, and buffs from Hoplon’s shield, his stats reached a level beyond common sense.
‘And I can still improve from here.’
This was a kind of midterm check.
Upon reaching level 40, he could level up existing skills and acquire new ones.
Moreover, a Unique Item awaited him soon.
“And that’s not all.”
Thanks to the quest reward obtained by unlocking the extra page, and the present from the Hidden Boss he was about to enter, he would gain two items.
His heart pounding wildly, his emotions surged.
“Then, it’s time for confirmation.”
He planned to clear the nearest objectives first and remained in the dungeon without retreating.
Dahav took out five incense sticks from his inventory and lit them.
Chik, chikjik.
The scent and smoke filled the air so thickly it could bring tears to one’s eyes, and he silently watched the incense burn without a word.
As the incense was about to burn out, Dahav muttered the key phrase softly.
“Heroes, I deeply admire your noble sacrifice and humbly offer my incense.”
Originally, Ayumur Temple was a city of pilgrimage, not a Dungeon City.
But one day, one of the 72 Devils, Belis, appeared at Ayumur Temple and turned it upside down.
Fortunately, thanks to the sacrifices of the Kingdom Army and Ser Vantes’s assistance, the Devil was sent back to the Demon World.
However, because of his overwhelming power, a fissure that could no longer be closed had formed, turning it into the Dungeon City it was now.
In other words, beneath the land they now stood on, lay heroes who had fought against the Devils in the past.
And this was the keyword that summoned the Hidden Boss.
‘To be precise, it did not summon a monster.’
It was more like a trial.
The smoke rising from the incense thickened and gathered in one place, taking shape.
-I appreciate your heart and incense offering. Who are you, who brings us such joy?
Dahav calmly answered.
“Those who forget the past can never move forward. I am Dahav, a Hero.”
-You have seen us and do not fear. With your wisdom and courage, you are indeed the birth of a new hero. How could I not be pleased! I shall reward you generously as a sign of my feelings. But…
The smoke, taking the form of a human, spoke again.
-That is something you can only earn by passing the trial! Your courage and wisdom are more than enough, so are you prepared to accept it without complaint?
“If that is the will of my ancestors, I shall follow it.”
-I too cannot help but express my gratitude for your courage. I wish you continued success.
The smoky form, like a billowing cloud, scattered, then suddenly enveloped him entirely.