On the way back to the dungeon entrance after defeating the boss, Gwang-taek approached Seong-jun and said.
“Seong-jun. That crystal shard. What on earth is it that made you choose it? It’s SS-rank, but it didn’t seem particularly useful.”
The unknown crystal shard, an SS-rank artifact.
It was the artifact Seong-jun had chosen as a reward.
But it had no abilities at all, literally just a crystal shard.
[SS-rank] Unknown Crystal Shard [1/3]
An unknown crystal shard containing unprecedented power
-Collecting all three shards completes the crystal.
It only said that collecting all three shards would complete the crystal, and with no other options, it felt unworthy of its SS rank.
“I know. I felt a strong pull the moment I saw it. Anyway, since it’s come to this, I’ll have to find the other two. Still, it’s SS-rank, so there should be something when it becomes a complete crystal, right?”
He didn’t know why, but the moment he saw the crystal shard in the reward box, his hand reached out involuntarily.
As if Saintess Hermia Jaylin and Paladin Pellis Truian were whispering for him to take it, he picked up the shard as if bewitched.
Perhaps that’s why he didn’t even check the other artifacts and just selected the shard immediately.
Even Seong-jun himself was puzzled by his actions, but at the time, he seemed to have only thought that he must obtain that shard.
“Well, if you say so, but do you know where the other pieces are to collect them?”
“What can I do? I’ll just hunt as usual.”
Since it was SS-rank, to get the other pieces, he would need to clear an A-rank dungeon with a first entry benefit.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to obtain SS-rank items.
But in the current situation, finding an A-rank dungeon with a first entry benefit wasn’t easy.
So Seong-jun decided to just hunt as usual and tackle A-rank dungeons whenever the opportunity arose, rather than wander around specifically looking for the pieces.
He figured that eventually he would find the other pieces that way.
“True, that’s all you can do for now. By the way, I wonder what will happen when you collect them all? I’m curious. ‘Unprecedented power’…”
“Anyway, we’ll find out when the time comes.”
It seemed like a somewhat disappointing reward compared to the effort, but Seong-jun didn’t particularly complain about choosing the shard.
It was because he judged there must be a special reason he was so strongly drawn to the shard.
Meanwhile, they soon arrived at the dungeon entrance.
“Healer Kim Seong-jun. Great work. Thanks to you, we succeeded in solo clearing an A-rank dungeon.”
Although it was a bit ambiguous to call it a solo clear, since there was a precedent, it wasn’t a problem to say it was a solo clear.
“Not at all. If a new A-rank dungeon is discovered again, please let me know. I’m always welcome to an A-rank dungeon with a first entry benefit. Ah! Of course, I’ll make the clearing conditions at least more relaxed than this time.”
Half the normal monster corpses and mana stones, plus the boss corpse and mana stone, and also the priority reward selection.
Although it can’t be considered a loss, it was clearly too favorable a condition for Seong-jun.
So if a similar situation arose again, he said he would participate under at least more relaxed conditions.
“Haha, okay. If I discover another new dungeon, I’ll ask for your help. Shall we go out now?”
As Ju So-jeong entered the portal first, one by one the others followed and exited the dungeon through the portal.
whoosh whoosh whoosh
As they exited the dungeon through the portal, they saw the Taiwan Association people waiting for them.
‘Huh? Why are the Taiwan Association people here? And even the Association President?’
They couldn’t have gathered just to celebrate the A-rank dungeon clear, and the atmosphere was quite heavy, so he could sense something else was going on.
Once Seong-jun’s party and the Genesis Guild all came out of the dungeon, the waiting Taiwan Association officials hurried over.
“Ha, haha, clearing an A-rank dungeon in just three days, that’s truly amazing.”
“Not at all. But why are you all gathered here? It doesn’t seem like you came just to celebrate the A-rank dungeon clear.”
Ju So-jeong seemed to have a similar thought to Seong-jun.
And although he said congratulations, the association president’s face showed some anxiety.
“Well, um… haah, I’m sorry to ask this of people who’ve been in the dungeon for three days straight, but please help us. A B-rank break dungeon has appeared near Taoyuan Airport.”
Only then did they understand why the Taiwan Association people were waiting in front of the dungeon portal.
If a B-rank dungeon break occurred, even if all of Taiwan’s hunter power were concentrated in one place, defense would not be easy.
How long could they hold out with only the guilds active around Taipei?
At best, it was similar to or slightly higher than the power when the defense line was built by Chungnam region hunters during the Taean Incident.
“What? A B-rank break dungeon? Did it occur simultaneously in other regions too?”
“No, it’s not. Only one has appeared near Taoyuan Airport.”
That it didn’t appear simultaneously in other regions was fortunate, at least.
“I see. Can you tell me how much time is left?”
“There’s about 30 minutes left. Even if we leave now, it will take 40 to 50 minutes, so we need to move as fast as possible.”
The travel time from here to Taoyuan Airport by car is between 40 and 50 minutes. Of course, that’s assuming no traffic.
But only about 30 minutes remained until the dungeon break.
In other words, no matter how fast they moved, the dungeon break would occur before they arrived.
It was questionable how long the Taiwan hunters could hold out, but at least they would have to defend on their own for 10 to 20 minutes.
At the news of only about 30 minutes left, Ju So-jeong’s expression quickly hardened.
“About 30 minutes… just a moment.”
She approached Seong-jun.
“Z Healer. You heard that? What do you think we should do?”
It wasn’t all of Taiwan’s hunter power, just guilds around Taipei, so their strength was obvious.
Of course, if Genesis joined, it would be a big help, but as you know, it was nearly impossible for the Genesis Guild alone to stop a B-rank dungeon break.
But if Seong-jun joined, the story would change.
Because through the previous dungeon break incident and today’s A-rank dungeon clear, she had keenly felt how much of a difference a single person like Seong-jun could make in the battle situation.
Ju So-jeong judged that while Genesis alone couldn’t do it, with Seong-jun, they could easily stop a B-rank dungeon break.
“There’s no choice. We have to go. If we run away in this situation, can we handle the consequences? Unless it’s an impossible situation, a B-rank dungeon break shouldn’t be a big problem. Instead, we need to demand appropriate compensation from the Taiwan Association for our trouble, right? I’ll leave that part to Guild Master Ju So-jeong.”
It wasn’t like they were calling them from Korea; they happened to be in Taiwan, so they were asking for help.
But if they refused?
At least in Taiwan, the backlash would be significant.
Of course, Seong-jun wasn’t the type to rush into impossible tasks out of fear of being criticized, but a B-rank dungeon break wasn’t a particularly difficult mission for him now.
“Good. I’ll take responsibility and make sure we get proper compensation for this.”
“Yes, and by the way, it sounded like time is tight, so let’s hurry.”
Since they had decided to help anyway, there was no need to delay.
If they were too late and the defense line collapsed even by a slim chance, it would be a headache.
*
Area of the B-rank break dungeon near Taoyuan International Airport.
The guilds known as Taiwan’s top 10 guilds, active around Taipei, hastily built a 1st defense line, but their strength was pitiful.
Five A-ranks, about 50 B-ranks, and the rest were all C-ranks.
At least the A-ranks were concentrated in the capital Taipei, but about half of the B-ranks were scattered across the country.
So out of about 100 B-ranks, only about half, 50, could be deployed.
At least there were about 300 C-ranks, but it was questionable how much help they would be against thousands of B-rank monsters.
“Damn, a sudden B-rank break dungeon.”
“I heard that B-rank dungeon breaks occurred simultaneously in several regions in China, Japan, and Korea recently, but I didn’t think it would happen here too. But can we stop this? Shouldn’t we ask Japan or Korea for help?”
“Don’t you know Japan’s situation? It’s a mess there too, they won’t have the mind to help us. Korea might be different. Still, their damage was much less than Japan’s.”
“Still, I heard that Kim Seong-jun, called the Saint of Korea, and the Genesis Guild, which rivals the top 1-2 of Korea’s top 10 guilds, are coming to help. If we can hold out until then, there will be a breakthrough.”
“That’s a silver lining. But wouldn’t it be fortunate if we don’t die before they arrive? There’s less than 10 minutes until the dungeon break now.”
The Taiwan hunters, having built the defense line and waiting for the dungeon break, talked a lot to calm their anxiety.
But still, they couldn’t shake off their unease.
Because they knew all too well that stopping a B-rank dungeon break with the hunter power here was like throwing eggs at a rock.
The only thing they could trust was Seong-jun’s party and Genesis, who would arrive shortly.
Whirr Whirr
Meanwhile, the drones began to hover over the main defense line.
As during the Taean Incident, because the number of A-ranks was insufficient, it was to allow the A-ranks to quickly support areas being pushed back by monitoring the situation via drones.
And shortly after.
Whoosh!
Finally, the dungeon break occurred.
Kieeee!
Kiaaaa!
The B-rank monster that appeared was the Giant Mantis that had appeared in Ahyeon-dong.
“Tch! Here they come! Everyone get ready!”
“It’s a Giant Mantis! It’s an agility-type monster, so prepare for fast attacks!”
The most threatening monsters to relatively lower-ranked hunters were agility-type monsters.
Because their fast attack speed made it impossible to catch one’s breath, and their attack power was also strong, even hunters of the same rank struggled against agility-type monsters.
“There are still many civilians who haven’t evacuated, so we must stop them here by any means! If this line is breached, there will be uncontrollable casualties! We must hold at all costs!”
Given the ranks and composition of the hunters building the defense line, if the 1st defense line collapsed, not many hunters would be able to retreat alive.
Especially since the enemy was the agility-type Giant Mantis, the lower-ranked C-ranks would likely be almost annihilated, and the B-ranks would also suffer significant damage.
Of course, there was no guarantee that even A-ranks could retreat safely.
In other words, the moment the defense line collapsed, there would be no power left to even build a 2nd defense line.
In the end, they had no backup and had to hold here no matter what.
Bang!
Ka-bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Soon, a fierce battle began between the Taiwan hunters and the Giant Mantises.
Kyaaak!
Aak!
Ack!
“St-stop them! Sto… gack!”
The B-rank tankers were barely holding on, but the C-rank tankers, who made up a large part of the defense line, were being helplessly overwhelmed.
At least new tankers were filling the gaps left by the fallen, but at this rate, they wouldn’t last long.
“Hold on! Hold on no matter what!”
The few A-ranks were running around frantically trying to prevent the defense line from collapsing, but with the steady increase in C-rank tanker casualties, it seemed difficult to hold for even 30 minutes, let alone an hour.
Even while traveling by car, Seong-jun was monitoring the situation on his phone.
“We need to hurry. Looking at the situation, they might not hold out for even 30 minutes.”
“What? Didn’t we say the power was similar to Taean? But you think they can’t hold for 30 minutes?”
“During Taean, the C-ranks held up to some extent, but from the live feed, the C-rank tankers can’t even respond properly and are collapsing. The A-ranks are running themselves ragged like in Taean, which is why it’s barely holding, but I think a breach will appear soon.”
Compared to Taean, there was one more A-rank, but the number of B-ranks was over 20 less.
In other words, there were significantly fewer B-ranks to solidify the defense line.
If the C-ranks, who make up most of the defense line, could hold out even a little, it might be different, but if they collapse helplessly like this, no matter how hard the A-ranks run around, they won’t last long.
Frankly, right now the number of monsters pouring out is small, so they’re barely holding, but as time passes and the monsters accumulate, it will clearly collapse in an instant.
“So the defense line could collapse before we arrive?”
“I don’t know. Still, they might hold for at least 20 to 30 minutes, but the question is whether we can arrive before then.”
Fortunately, the traffic wasn’t congested, so they could save time, but it was still uncertain if they would arrive before the defense line collapsed.
“Huh! If the defense line collapses before we arrive, things will get quite troublesome? I hope they hold out until we get there.”
They don’t have the capacity to build a 2nd defense line, and the moment the current defense line collapses, the monsters will scatter in all directions.
Then it would become too big for just Seong-jun’s party and Genesis to cover.
On the other hand, if the defense line holds until Seong-jun arrives, he can immediately cast buffs and turn the situation around.
Plus, the monsters would be clustered instead of scattered, making it easier to take them out with area skills.
After about 10 more minutes passed.
“Th-there’s the defense line!”
In the distance, they could see hunters fighting fiercely against the Giant Mantises.
The situation was so precarious that it wouldn’t be strange if it collapsed at any moment, but somehow they were still holding on.
“It seems traffic is starting to jam because we’re near the break area. I’ll get off here! Please stop the car!”
As they got closer to the defense line, the road began to clog with evacuating vehicles.
In this state, it seemed better to run, so Seong-jun asked to stop the car.
Screech!
When the Taiwan Association employee stopped the car, Seong-jun’s party immediately got out.
“Run at full speed to the defense line! Everyone keep up and don’t fall behind!”
Saying that, Seong-jun immediately kicked off the ground.
Perhaps because of his agility stat, which was over 1 million?
Seong-jun’s running speed was truly enormous.
Crunch!
The force of his kick was so strong that the road was dented, and at the same time, Seong-jun moved at incredible speed down the road.
“Let’s go too!”
“Huh! How is Seong-jun oppa so fast? How are we supposed to keep up with that?”
Thud!
Swoosh!
Gwang-taek, Yuseon, and Chang-su hurriedly followed, but Seong-jun was so fast that catching up seemed difficult.
*
Thanks to his tremendous speed, Seong-jun was able to arrive before the defense line collapsed.
“Kyaaak!”
“Cra-crazy, how do we stop this? We’re all going to die.”
“Sa-save me… kyaaaak!”
“Shoot! Keep shooting without stopping!”
“Spam skills! This is no time to conserve mana! If the front line collapses, we all die!”
Screams came from all around, and the dealers struggled to deal even a little more damage.
But still, they couldn’t reduce the burden on the front-line tankers and melee dealers.
‘Huh! If I had been a few minutes later, the defense line would have collapsed! This is no time for that. All-in-One! Wide Area Mode!’
When checking the live feed, it seemed they could hold for about 20-30 minutes, but when he arrived, it was much more serious than it looked on video.
If he hadn’t gotten out of the car and run, the defense line would have collapsed before he arrived.
So Seong-jun immediately cast All-in-One in Wide Area Mode.
Whoosh!
As All-in-One was cast, the bewildered voices of the Taiwan hunters fighting desperately on the main defense line were heard.
“Huh! Wh-what is this! All-in-One?”
“B-basic stats at 150,000? Cr-crazy!”
As basic stats skyrocketed to S-rank level, the C-rank tankers who had been helplessly collapsing instead began to push back the Giant Mantises.
Not stopping there, Seong-jun immediately activated the next buffs.
Starting with Healing Light, then Energy Boost, Holy Attribute Grant, and Divine Attack Power Increase, all in Wide Area Mode, and finally he cast War Drum to the extreme, removing fear and boosting morale.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The buffs enveloped the Taiwan hunters, and as a result, the defense line that seemed about to collapse instantly became solid.
No, it became so strong that it could now drive back the monsters.