Chapter 14: Skeletons Against the Inferno

Description

Hwaseong Haenggung Palace in Suwon.

Countless dark-blue roof tiles covered the ground, and hunters were gathering here.

A gate had appeared in this historic site from the Joseon era.

“Everyone, line up.”

In front of the blue gate.

Team Leader Ju Namgyu spoke to us, the Gaon Team members.

It wasn’t just us.

Since this was a joint raid, other guilds were also lined up near the gate.

“Check your items! We’re entering soon!”

“Let’s show the dignity of our Nammun Guild!”

“Pungun Guild fighting! No matter what anyone says, we’re the strongest!”

Excluding our Myth Guild, there were three other guilds.

They shouted loudly, as if wanting the others to hear.

‘They’re being extra loud because Myth Guild is here.’

A fierce battle of nerves.

Among them, our Myth Guild received particularly sharp glares.

It was only natural.

Myth Guild was Korea’s number-one guild, after all.

‘Why is that guy staring like that?’

Amidst the stares, there was one person sending an especially piercing look.

Not from another guild, but from within ours.

It was none other than Noh Youngjin.

Noh Youngjin glared at me as if he wanted to kill me, without saying a word.

But I didn’t back down and stared right back.

I had done nothing wrong.

There was no reason to become a punching bag for such pathetic reasons.

At that moment.

“Hunters, we will now begin the gate raid! Guilds that are ready, please enter the gate!”

The Hunter Association staff guarding the gate announced the start.

With Ju Namgyu’s shout, our Myth Guild began entering the blue gate.

‘Eunbyeol, Daddy will do well and come back.’

I pictured our cute Eunbyeol’s face and made a promise.

To do my best in this gate too.

It’s common knowledge that gates lead to bizarre spaces.

A construction site outside might turn into a meadow inside, or a park might become a pure-white snowfield—such things were now familiar.

‘This is a bit…….’

But this gate completely surpassed imagination.

Even though Team Leader Ju Namgyu had briefed us beforehand, actually stepping inside left me bewildered.

Whoosh!

Flames shot up.

Not just in front, but everywhere was ablaze.

What had been trees were long turned into black charcoal, and the sky itself was red from the flames filling the surroundings.

A space where both hope and despair seemed to have burned away.

This was the “Sea of Fire” field.

“This is insane. A Sea of Fire field? What the hell is this?”

“Damn it. They made us raid something like this?”

“Haa, we’ll burn to death before even fighting monsters.”

“Ugh, it’s so hot. Team Leader, can I take off my top? I’m dying here!”

Everyone who arrived in the Sea of Fire dungeon grumbled.

Not just our Myth Guild, but the other guilds that entered later also had furrowed brows.

It was already hard to fight monsters, and with the field like this, frowning was inevitable.

“Don’t whine!”

“Overcome it like hunters!”

“Our Nammun Guild never retreats!”

“Show Pungun Guild’s spirit!”

Each guild’s team leaders shouted to boost morale.

Probably to avoid looking weak in front of other guilds.

With the team leaders at the front, we began moving forward.

Into the blazing Sea of Fire.

***

Walking through the Sea of Fire dungeon was truly difficult.

Of course, as hunters we had basic resistance, so we didn’t get burned just from touching the flames, but constant exposure was undeniably tough.

Not to mention the heat that made midsummer sun feel like nothing.

At that moment.

“Woof!”

While carefully avoiding the crimson flames, a dog’s bark came from somewhere.

It wasn’t an illusion.

The barking only grew louder.

“Woof! Woof woof!”

“Woof woof! Woof! Woof!”

“Rooof! Woof woof!”

Dogs really emerged through the flames.

The breed was “Bulldog.”

They were the size of compact cars, but looked just like bulldogs.

However, their appearance was completely different from the bulldogs we knew.

‘Good heavens. The “bull” in bulldog really meant flames.’

Giant dogs, Bulldogs.

Their entire backs were blazing with crimson fire.

The “bull” in bulldog truly meant flames.

“Let’s go, Gaon Team! Show them Myth Guild’s power!”

“Yes!”

Ju Namgyu shouted from the front, and we charged forward as if we had been waiting.

I also instantly summoned skeleton soldiers and advanced.

Clatter! Clatter!

Ten incredibly reliable skeleton soldiers.

They guarded me as they ran, and we soon faced the Bulldogs.

Slash! Rip! Stab! Slash!

The skeleton soldiers swung their bone swords like mad.

Of course, the Bulldogs fiercely resisted, spewing blazing flames.

But the skeleton soldiers took no damage and turned the Bulldogs into chunks of meat.

Of course, that wasn’t the end.

“Woof! Rooof! Woof!”

“Woof woof! Woof! Rooof!”

“Woof! Woof woof! Woof!”

More Bulldogs kept appearing from the Sea of Fire.

A whopping 30 of them.

Looking at them, the other guilds besides us also began fighting.

The joint raid between Myth Guild and the others continued.

Though the Sea of Fire field was grueling, everyone fought the Bulldogs with all their might.

Thanks to that, we were able to take down the quite strong and tricky Bulldogs with minimal casualties.

The battle inside the Sea of Fire was even more intense.

Among them, one person stood out.

‘Noh Youngjin…….’

His name was Noh Youngjin.

Our Gaon Team’s deputy team leader.

‘He’s gotten stronger.’

I hated to admit it, but Noh Youngjin had grown stronger.

Despite barely training after leaving the Hunter Hospital, he showed remarkable prowess.

‘And cold-blooded too.’

What was especially surprising was how calm he was.

Normally, Noh Youngjin was always arrogant and boastful.

He never shut up, mocked others, and acted recklessly out of ego.

But not in this gate.

He kept his mouth shut and focused solely on hunting Bulldogs.

Like a killer devoid of emotion.

‘Well, as long as he doesn’t mess with me, it’s fine.’

His performance annoyed me, but it wasn’t a bad thing.

He was a jerk, but still our Gaon Team’s deputy.

There was no reason for his success to be bad.

‘Go, skeletons.’

That’s why I could focus on the battle comfortably.

The skeletons ran with clatter sounds.

They charged toward the dozens of Bulldogs swarming like a pack of dogs, thrusting bone swords.

Stab! Slash! Stab! Rip!

Thanks to level-ups, over ten skeleton soldiers slashed without rest.

Every swing of their bone swords tore huge chunks of Bulldog flesh.

It was truly easy, like cutting tofu.

Though I couldn’t use my specialty, Bone Explosion, because of the team, combat was still no problem.

Perhaps that’s why.

The hunters from other guilds fighting alongside us kept glancing at our Gaon Team and muttering.

“Wow, look at Myth Guild. No hesitation at all.”

“Amazing. As expected from the number-one guild.”

“Who’s that yellow-haired guy? He’s been fighting at the front without tiring.”

“Yeah. He’s taken down over 50 Bulldogs alone by now.”

“And that necromancer? He looks like a newbie, but he’s insanely strong.”

“First time seeing a necromancer this powerful. Don’t those skeletons ever break?”

“As expected from Myth Guild. Monsters everywhere……!”

The hunters from other guilds looked intimidated as they watched us.

I understood their feelings.

Not long ago, I was the one envying others.

I had lived my whole life only envying successful people.

‘Awakening really was a stroke of heavenly luck.’

Maybe that’s why.

I felt truly grateful for awakening while cleaning up chicken bones.

To leap from the position of envying others to being envied in an instant.

BOOM!

At that moment.

While killing Bulldogs, the ground suddenly shook violently.

As if a giant hammer had struck the earth.

Along with it, an enormous presence revealed itself from the flames.

“……!”

Everyone, including me, looked up at the massive being that appeared with the tremor.

Mouths agape.

[Flame Bear].

The letters above the apartment-sized monster read “Flame Bear.”

But the Flame Bear before us wasn’t the brown bear we knew.

‘Its entire body is blazing.’

The Flame Bear’s whole body was on fire.

Just like the Bulldogs, it was a bear engulfed in flames.

“Whine! Whine!”

At the appearance of the apartment-sized Flame Bear, the Bulldogs whimpered and scattered.

Though the Bulldogs were compact-car-sized, before the overwhelmingly huge Flame Bear, they were reduced to chihuahuas.

Whoosh!

At that moment.

“No,

While everyone was stunned by the blazing Flame Bear, someone dashed forward. Noh Youngjin! Stop!”

As Team Leader Ju Namgyu shouted, the runner was indeed Noh Youngjin.

Noh Youngjin charged incredibly fast.

He seemed intent on slicing the Flame Bear just as he had massacred the Bulldogs.

But the other guilds didn’t just watch.

“Damn it! Let’s go too! Kill it!”

“Pungun Guild, charge! Charge!”

“We’re taking the boss! Let’s gooo!”

“Waaaaaah!”

Did they not want Myth Guild to take the boss?

The guilds that had frozen before the Flame Bear’s overwhelming presence rushed forward recklessly.

“Stop! I said stop, you idiots!”

In contrast, Ju Namgyu shouted for Noh Youngjin and the others to stop.

Of course, the charging hunters ignored him.

‘Why stop?’

Standing among the Gaon Team, I couldn’t understand Ju Namgyu’s judgment.

The apartment-sized Flame Bear was scary, but Ju Namgyu wasn’t the type to retreat from battle.

Especially since the boss had to be defeated—why tell us to stop?

I found Ju Namgyu harder to understand than Noh Youngjin.

Whoosh!

At that instant, Noh Youngjin, who had reached the front, kicked off the ground and leaped.

He swung his sword, soaked in Bulldog blood, straight at the bear.

CLAAAAANG!

But the Flame Bear’s skin was too tough, and Noh Youngjin was repelled.

He spun once in midair and landed gracefully.

Flames from the Flame Bear had slightly transferred to his body, and he tried to pat-pat them out.

“Huh? What the.”

Noh Youngjin’s face filled with panic.

No matter how much he patted, the flames wouldn’t extinguish.

Whoosh!

In fact, the flames grew larger.

He patted harder and even stripped off his clothes, but the fire had already spread to his body.

Watching this, Ju Namgyu muttered in dismay.

“That idiot. I clearly told him to be careful around the boss……!”

Ah.

Only then did I remember.

Before entering the gate, he had warned us that this gate’s boss monster was special and not to approach carelessly.

But both I and Noh Youngjin had forgotten.

Probably due to the intense battle in the Sea of Fire dungeon.

Or perhaps he just wanted to cut it down in one go.

“Arghhh! F-Fire!”

Noh Youngjin, now covered in massive flames, screamed.

He even clung to hunters from other guilds, begging for help.

“D-Don’t come near! Stay away!”

“Get lost, you bastard!”

“Argh! Run! It’s unquenchable fire!”

At Noh Youngjin’s approach, the other guild hunters scattered.

Some who collided with him even caught fire themselves.

It was complete chaos.

Watching this, a sudden thought struck me.

“Team Leader.”

“Yeah, Seo Juwon.”

“I’ll put out that fire.”

“Put out the fire? What are you talking about? Even a skilled mage’s water magic can’t extinguish that. How are you going to do it?”

“I’m not going to use water. I’ll kill the boss and erase the flames completely.”

“……!”

When the boss monster inside a gate dies, everything disappears.

Meaning, if the Flame Bear dies, the flames that were part of it would vanish too.

That’s why I said it.

I would defeat the Flame Bear and extinguish the fire on so many people’s bodies.

“Seo Juwon, can you do it?”

“Yes. I can. Leave it to me.”

“Alright. I’m counting on you, Seo Juwon.”

Ju Namgyu patted my shoulder tap and said.

I nodded and walked steadily toward the Flame Bear.

Clatter! Clatter!

Together with my now 15 skeleton soldiers.