Chapter 47: Matryoshka (3)

The hidden dungeon generated inside the Turquoise Crystal Cave dungeon, ‘Congested Blood Castle’.

The Faithful Raiders were catching their breath in a remote storage room within the castle.

“Huff…… huff…… huff……”

“We’re… we’re gonna die……. We’re all gonna die here……”

“We never should have followed. Chasing after some glory and riches……”

Voices laced with terror and despair erupted from all sides.

The raiders looked wretched.

Their faces and bodies were covered in mottled burn scars, their clothes smeared with bloodstains, bits of flesh, and foul-smelling filth of unknown origin.

Soon, raid leader Kim Cheolwoo counted the remaining members with a stiff expression.

“……Seven. That’s all?”

The Faithful Raiders, originally twenty-five strong, had been reduced to less than a quarter.

All dead, left behind, or missing.

One word floated into Kim Cheolwoo’s mind.

‘Annihilation.’

For the first ten minutes or so after entering the hidden dungeon, things had been fine.

Ghouls swarmed like cockroaches from everywhere, but they were merely D+-rank monsters.

B-rank hunter Kim Cheolwoo and his raiders skillfully held positions and repelled them.

But the problems started after that.

Once the ghouls were downed, higher-tier undead monsters began appearing one by one.

Hundreds of blood bats that tore flesh and sucked blood.

Skeleton legions composed of warriors, archers, and mages.

Rag golems stitched from human bodies, banshees with ear-splitting screams.

From C-rank to B-rank in danger level.

Powerful monsters usually seen only in boss rooms poured out relentlessly.

But the most terrifying of all were the ‘vampires.’

Monsters that drained human blood and turned their victims into ghouls.

They approached in mist-like forms and sank fangs into the raiders’ necks.

Over half the party had fallen to vampires and turned into ghouls.

Witnessing that horrific sight, Kim Cheolwoo and the survivors fled without looking back, hiding in a storage room off one of the castle corridors.

“Damn it……”

From the moment they entered Congested Blood Castle, everything flipped.

Here, they were no longer hunters.

Just prey desperately fleeing a slaughterer.

Kim Cheolwoo thought.

How the hell did it come to this?

The lowest monsters in this dungeon were D+-rank ghouls.

Even B+-rank vampires roamed in packs.

Meaning…

…This place is at least A-rank.

Cold sweat ran down Kim Cheolwoo’s back.

Where had it all gone wrong?

The plan had been perfect.

They’d luckily discovered the hidden dungeon and carefully chosen a sacrifice for the human ritual.

F-rank hunters were too timid and wary due to lack of confidence in their skills.

No matter the reward offered, they’d suspect “Why me?” and refuse.

Higher-skilled hunters risked exposing the scheme.

So an E-rank—freshly promoted at that—was ideal.

The cockiest phase, when they had just enough strength to be reckless.

Thus, they targeted an E-rank hunter.

Cha Hasang.

A total scrub whose only listed skill was “Document Memorization.”

But…

…That bastard was hiding his power.

Every mage in Kim Cheolwoo’s raid was D-rank or above.

They could crush an E-rank with their eyes closed.

Yet Cha Hasang nullified all their magic, counterattacked, and bolted into the hidden dungeon.

Maybe that’s where we screwed up.

Blinded by rage, Kim Cheolwoo had dragged the raiders in recklessly, leading to this disastrous annihilation.

If not for that son of a bitch, we could’ve handled it calmly!

Then.

Boom!

The barricade piled at the storage room door shattered entirely.

Soon, three seductive young women appeared beyond the entrance.

“V-Vampires!”

The vampires stepped forward slowly, letting out chilling laughter.

[Ufufufu……]

[Ahahaha……]

[Hohohohoho……]

No windows or side doors led out of the storage room.

Kim Cheolwoo and the raiders were truly rats in a jar.

It’s really over. We’ll all die here.

As that thought filled every raider’s mind.

Crack—crack—

Cracks began forming on the storage room ceiling.

Hairline fractures spread like spiderwebs in an instant.

Soon.

Boom!

A massive hole opened in the ceiling, and a huge shadow dropped through.

…Right onto the vampires’ heads.

[Kyaaaaagh—!]

[Kieeeek~!]

Pain-filled screams from the vampires echoed, but thick dust clouds obscured everything.

Yes.

After a moment.

Only when the haze settled did the scene become visible.

The vampires were crushed beyond recognition under whatever had fallen.

Realizing what it was, Kim Cheolwoo involuntarily gasped.

“Huh, huuuh……!”

A massive body several meters long.

Hands large enough to pulp a human head like a tomato.

Then, one raider spoke in a trembling voice.

“O-O-O…… Ogre……!?”

One mountain after another, as they say.

Among A-rank monsters, ogres were notoriously ferocious—second to none.

The Faithful Raiders now numbered seven.

Aside from B-rank Kim Cheolwoo, four C-ranks and two D-ranks.

No chance of winning. Impossible, no matter the strategy.

Even at full strength, their odds against an ogre were zero.

Then, the sprawled ogre slowly rose.

Terror etched across Kim Cheolwoo and the raiders’ faces.

Limbs shook; they could barely breathe.

But in that moment.

“Hmm, this technique should work well in real combat too.”

A familiar voice echoed from the gaping ceiling above.

Kim Cheolwoo couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Y-You…… Why are you up there……?”

Standing beyond the hole was the E-rank hunter they’d been chasing.

Cha Hasang himself.

***

It hadn’t been long since starting the skill test when I realized.

Tough, resilient hide; sturdy endurance; relentlessly aggressive temperament.

An ogre truly was the perfect sandbag.

Only problem—the floor wasn’t as tough as the ogre.

Below were the terrified Kim Cheolwoo and his raiders.

…Only seven left, huh.

Not my concern.

I’m not warm-hearted enough to look after bastards who tried to backstab and kill me.

Yes.

I turned my gaze to the ogre.

Its body was covered in blackened scorch marks, but it looked ready to charge any second.

“Tough guy. I like your spirit.”

I focused my mind.

Ding dong!

<Activating skill ‘Embers’!>

At the same time, dark crimson feathers sprouted all over my body.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—

With a light flick of my fingers, five dark crimson feathers from the back of my hand floated into the air.

The fire crow feathers covering my body could be controlled at will.

Control range: roughly 50 meters around me.

Soon, I fired one feather toward the ogre.

The ogre swung its massive hand to swat it.

But.

—Swish!

The fire crow feather instantly veered right.

Imagining the trajectory in my mind made the feather respond and move.

A perfect remote-control system—never misses.

Soon, the fire crow feather embedded itself dead center in the ogre’s forehead.

—Thunk! Roarrr!

It transformed into dark crimson flames and burned.

The ogre clutched its forehead and bellowed.

[Kraaaagh—!]

But only a slight scorch mark remained.

For an A-rank skill, the fire crow feather’s damage was on the weaker side.

That’s why you combine it with this.

Ding dong!

<Activating skill ‘Inherited Skin Oil’!>

Black oil mucus coated the floating fire crow feathers.

I fired the remaining four feathers at once.

As they pierced the ogre’s body, fierce explosions erupted.

Pop~! Pop~! Pop~! Kaboom—!

Unlike before, the ogre staggered, losing balance.

The combination of Gigasnail’s oil mucus and fire crow feathers.

A ranged explosive projectile for area attacks.

Still, the damage is a bit lacking.

Not enough destructive power to fully kill an A-rank ogre.

Likely ineffective against higher-tier monsters.

Of course, against lower-tier small fry, nothing’s more convenient and efficient.

In that moment.

[Kwoooor—!]

The ogre roared in fury and charged.

A lumpy, rock-like fist flew toward my face.

But when I tilted my head slightly.

—Slip—

The ogre’s fist grazed my cheek and slid smoothly away.

The oil mucus coating my body slickly deflected it.

…But that’s not the end.

Ding dong!

<Activating Cloak of Sulfur Hell item skill ‘Flame Dash’!>

Crimson sulfur flames erupted from the cloak, igniting the oil-coated fire crow feathers.

Whoosh—!

Like a burning tree, intense sulfur flames rose from my entire body.

Soon, the flames spread to the ogre’s fist.

[K, Kraaaagh—!]

The ogre flailed its burning hand in agony.

Yet I felt no pain at all.

Rather, it was warm and cozy, like being wrapped in a soft blanket.

The Cloak of Sulfur Hell’s fire resistance drastically reduced damage, while Embers converted flames into energy.

Yes.

The flame energy absorbed by Embers was immediately taken in, recovering health and mana.

Thanks to that, the fiercer the flames, the more strength surged through me.

The flames soared even higher in response.

Whoosh—!

The more flames absorbed, the stronger the output.

An infinite power generator—an actual perpetual motion machine.

But the flame energy absorbed by Embers wasn’t limited to recovery.

…You can use it like this too.

I gathered all the flames enveloping my body into the fire crow feathers.

At the same time, I controlled every feather into a dense spherical cluster.

Thousands of flickering dark crimson feathers swirled together.

Trails of flame lingered like red lines along their flight paths.

Soon, I hurled the bowling-ball-sized condensed feather sphere with all my might.

—Whoosh—

It sliced the air and struck the ogre’s abdomen dead-on.

In that instant.

Kaboom kaboom kaboom kaboom!

A vortex-like pillar of fire engulfed the ogre and shot upward.

A massive blaze burned all the way to the ceiling, rising endlessly.

The high-density compressed flames burned blue.

When the blue fire pillar subsided, only fine ash remained.

Power enough to one-shot even an A-rank monster into oblivion.

Not quite on par with the Gluttony Slash secret art… but roughly A+-rank skill level.

Gasps echoed from behind me all around.

Soon, I pulled a glowing red essence from the ashes.

<Super Strength Essence> / Essence / A

Essence extracted from an ogre.

Absorb this essence to acquire the ‘Super Strength’ skill.

-Super Strength (A): Temporarily strengthens all muscles, allowing power that exceeds limits.

“Oh?”

Ogre-level brute force.

A skill with endless potential uses.

Then.

Ding dong!

<WARNING!>

<WARNING!>

<WARNING!>

<WARNING!>

<Blood is beginning to overflow from the hexagonal coffin in the castle’s depths!>

Ash-gray mist began gathering from all directions.

Soon, an ice-cold voice resounded.

[Rats are defiling my castle.]

—Ding dong!

<The boss of instance dungeon ‘Congested Blood Castle’ has appeared!>

…The true lord of the castle had emerged.