The Wood Golems were just as wretched.
As sharp weapons relentlessly pierced their wooden bodies, the creaking sounds rang out so loud it was almost ear-piercing.
It was as if a living being were screaming in agony.
On the outside, their forms hadn’t completely collapsed yet, but inside, they were already shredded by countless blades and spearheads.
Here and there, wooden fragments broke off and fell, and only the skeletal framework barely managed to hold its shape.
At the final moment, the Wood Golem’s torso rotted and split apart, then, powerless, fell to the ground in two pieces.
The broken wooden shards no longer twitched.
Even the few remaining Golems were helplessly destroyed under the fierce onslaught of the Strengthened Skeletons.
On the battlefield, where dirt, guts, and broken wood fragments mingled, only the grotesquely shattered remains of the Golems lay scattered.
Sang-woong also continued to cut down the endlessly charging Skeletons, but gradually grew tired as the tide of bones never ceased.
“Kuugh…”
A short groan escaped Sang-woong’s lips.
No matter how vicious a monster, there would always be hesitation in the face of death.
But Skeletons were different.
Like emotionless robots, they rushed blindly at Sang-woong without end.
No matter how many he cut down, new Skeletons appeared, swarming at him without pause.
This situation completely wore down Sang-woong.
As mental fatigue piled up, the battle grew ever more difficult.
The instant Sang-woong faltered for a moment, dozens of Skeletons darted at him like shadows and surrounded him.
Dozens of Rusty Swords and Rusty Spears flew at Sang-woong all at once.
“Ugh..!”
Sang-woong blocked with his sword, but being human, blind spots were unavoidable.
A Rusty Sword and Spear he couldn’t block stabbed mercilessly into his body.
Gashes appeared all over his armor, and sharp pain shot through his body.
But with Body Reinforcement Level 5, this much wasn’t enough to bring him down.
“Kuaaaah!”
At that critical moment, a fierce roar shook the battlefield.
The moment battle began, Leon, who had protected Sang-woong all along, rushed forward like a lightning bolt, his mane bristling like a pelt.
With all his power unleashed, Leon was now three times his usual size.
His huge jaws opened, revealing sharp fangs like saw blades.
With a terrible sound, he bit straight through a Skeleton’s torso.
The brittle bones broke in two without resistance, and white fragments and dust clung to Leon’s muzzle.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Leon lunged at another Skeleton nearby and smashed its skull.
Crash!
With a sharp crack, the Skeleton’s head shattered into pieces.
The last flicker of light slowly faded from its empty eye sockets.
Several Skeletons simultaneously rushed at Leon, stabbing at his side with Rusty Swords, but his tough hide was like armor, deflecting most of the blows.
As Leon bought a brief moment, Sang-woong shouted.
“Aria!”
“Yes, Master.”
At Sang-woong’s signal, Aria, who had been conserving her strength until now, began to unleash her power in earnest.
“Earth, Obey My Will!”
As Aria’s clear and ringing voice echoed, dazzling white light burst from her body. The light bathed the ground, and in an instant, the earth turned into a quagmire of sticky mud.
The Skeletons’ steps slowed dramatically.
Each time they tried to move, their feet squelched in the mire, barely able to shift.
Their usual agility was gone, and they seemed to move awkwardly as if shackled with heavy chains.
At a glance, Aria’s Magic didn’t deal direct damage in the battle.
She had merely slowed their movements.
But it brought Sang-woong exactly what he needed most right now.
Time.
The sheer number of Skeletons put immense pressure on Sang-woong.
The Golems had suffered near-annihilation, and the shadow of defeat loomed.
However, the Skeletons’ numbers were, in fact, a great boon to Sang-woong.
Each dying Skeleton gave him tremendous Points.
Taking advantage of the time Aria had bought, Sang-woong used the Shop Window to purchase new Golems.
In an instant, sturdy Golems sprang up around Sang-woong.
The newly summoned Stone Golems began smashing the immobilized Skeletons with their massive Stone Clubs.
The Wood Golems, able to move more freely even in the mud, swung their Wooden Clubs to deal with the Skeletons.
The Skeletons, undaunted by death, still rushed forward, but Aria’s Magic and the muddy field slowed them down, preventing the swift attacks they once managed.
The slowed Skeletons were now easy prey for the Golems.
The tide of the battlefield quickly began to tilt toward Sang-woong.
The Lich continued to watch the situation from above.
His blue eyes glittered with rage.
“How dare you harm my legion… It’s not over yet!”
At his gesture, an even greater surge of Magic began to gather.
From the black clouds filling the night sky, red lightning flashed.
The black clouds grew even thicker, swallowing the night whole.
As red lightning flashed relentlessly, the Lich’s skull twisted in utter fury.
The Mana flowing from his bony hand was so powerful that even the surrounding air trembled.
“You dare…! Taste my wrath!”
The Lich spread his arms wide, and the red lightning pouring from the black clouds fused into a single, massive Magic Spear.
From the tip, a chilling aura of death radiated, so overwhelming that even the remaining Skeletons trembled.
The target was clear.
It was Sang-woong.
“Master, it’s dangerous! Come!”
Leon shouted urgently, moving in front of Sang-woong.
The fierce resolve to protect Sang-woong at all costs, even at the expense of his own life, was palpable.
“Leon, it’s all right—fall back behind me!”
Sang-woong stopped Leon and gripped his sword tightly.
Feeling the deadly aura approaching head-on, he sharpened all his senses.
“Stone Golems, block the Lich’s attack!”
At Sang-woong’s command, the Stone Golems moved their massive bodies.
Without hesitation, all the Stone Golems charged at the crimson Magic Spear.
With a dull crash, the Magic Spear pierced straight through the leading Stone Golem’s sturdy body.
Even then, the powerful red Magic Spear did not lose momentum, piercing five Stone Golems in a row.
That wasn’t the end.
The crimson Magic Spear, blocked in its advance, exploded at once.
Boom!
With an immense blast, the surrounding Stone Golems’ bodies were shattered to pieces, and the remnants of red magic scattered in all directions.
The Wood Golems didn’t stand idly by either.
While the Stone Golems blocked the red Magic Spear, they rushed at the Lich.
Creaking as they moved, they swung their Wooden Clubs.
But the Lich simply rose higher into the air, easily dodging the Wood Golems’ attacks.
As the Lich sneered down at the Wood Golems from above, the Wood Golems grabbed the remaining Skeletons and hurled them at the Lich.
Caught off guard by this unexpected move, the Lich was momentarily flustered.
“Cursed wretches! Barrier.”
A protective shield formed around the Lich’s body, and the thrown Skeletons evaporated in black smoke the moment they struck the barrier.
The Lich then cast another Lightning Magic, sending dozens of small bolts crashing down, splitting and burning the Wood Golems to ash.
“What kind of monster is that…”
Sang-woong’s jaw dropped.
Hunters could wield miraculous Skills, but he had never seen such overwhelming Magic before.
Beside him, Leon let out a fierce growl.
His fur bristled, and his red eyes glared daggers at the Lich.
Sang-woong glanced at Leon’s resolute figure and braced himself for the final battle.
The Lich looked down at the broken Wood Golems and let out a cold smile.
“Foolish… Now, only you remain.”
His gaze shifted to Sang-woong.
Sang-woong drew a deep breath.
As he did, fierce blue light began to swirl around the sword in his hand.
The sheer number of Stone Golems hadn’t just given Sang-woong Points.
Their deaths had also made him stronger.
The experience gained from killing thousands of Skeletons was enormous, and surpassing the limits of his talent, he leveled up by seven.
Now, much stronger, he dashed toward the Lich.
Leon also charged fiercely after Sang-woong.
The Lich stretched out his hand, forming a black Magic Sphere.
Condensed with the aura of death, the Sphere shot a chilling light as it hurtled toward Sang-woong.
Sang-woong raised his sword high.
Then he brought it down vertically toward the Sphere.
The Sphere was split perfectly in two along the blue line left by his blade and exploded.
The force of the halved Sphere’s blast was not enough to stop Sang-woong’s body, strengthened by Skills.
Taking advantage of the opening, Sang-woong closed in on the Lich.
Blue mana blazed fiercely on the edge of his sword.
The Lich, startled, tried to fly back, but Sang-woong was faster.
“It’s over, Lich!”
Sang-woong’s sword pierced through the Lich’s withered torso.
The blade, imbued with blue mana, drove deep into the Lich’s body, fiercely destroying his magical power.
“Gyaaaaah!”
A furious scream burst from the Lich’s body, and black smoke billowed out.
The skull twisted in agony, and the magic flame sputtered and died.
His body began to turn to ash, crumbling away bit by bit.
The remaining Skeletons sensed their master’s death, and instantly, they too crumbled to dust and vanished.
The pitch-black night sky began to brighten faintly with the light of the moon.
Sang-woong, panting, looked at the vanished Lich.
At his side stood the battered Leon and an exhausted Aria.
The grand battle had finally come to an end.
But Sang-woong knew.
This was not the end, but the start of something new.
The invasion of the Red Moon could begin again at any time, perhaps as soon as tomorrow.
Yet there was no wavering in Sang-woong’s eyes.
No matter what threats came, he resolved that he would never yield, and would protect his land and those dear to him.
***
Morning sunlight filled the room.
Gentle warmth caressed Sang-woong’s face.
Bathed in the bright light, Sang-woong quietly rose from sleep.
As always, he opened the window and breathed in the fresh air.
After a simple wash, he prepared for work.
But the joy he once showed was missing from his face.
Recently, as customers steadily increased, the restaurant work was becoming overwhelming.
What he had started out of passion had now become, in every sense, just labor.
He wanted to hire help, but with the Dungeon Gate in the food storeroom, he couldn’t even consider bringing on employees.
Even if others couldn’t see the Dungeon Gate, if someone went in and out of the storeroom and didn’t come out for a long time, everyone would become suspicious.
‘Of all places, why did the Dungeon Gate have to appear there… If it had appeared at home, there wouldn’t be any problems like this.’
At that moment, a message appeared before his eyes.