Chapter 35: The Hatchling in the Middle

Whoosh!

The scenery changed, and a hot wind blew in immediately.

The soldiers caught their breath but maintained their formation according to the platoon leader's instructions.

Looking around, the environment gave the illusion of standing near a volcano.

Structures were charred black as if scorched by fire. White steam rose from various places.

The smell, similar to sulfur, stung and irritated the soldiers' noses.

"Ah… I can't get used to this place no matter how many times I come here."
"Tell me about it."

Grimacing, the soldiers moved deeper into the dungeon.

Thanks to their thorough preparations, including heat-resistant suits, everyone moved without hesitation.

'It's more bearable than I thought?'

It was the same for Kim Hyun-jun. It was actually less difficult than he had anticipated, which made him feel suspicious.

Compared to before his regression, his level, stats, and traits were all far superior… but he wondered if he should be able to withstand the heat this well.

'I guess I was just too weak before the regression.'

Looking back, it wasn't even during his early days as a Sergeant; he had only been able to attempt this dungeon after his peak had passed.

"Ugh. My throat is already parched."
"Me too. Just one sip of water."
"Are you crazy? Drink your own."
"I just finished it."
"You lunatic. What are you going to do later if you drink it all now?"

According to the platoon leader's briefing, no monsters would appear until they reached the middle of the dungeon.

The soldiers fought through the heat, frequently taking out their canteens to drink.

Depending on the dungeon type, drinking water individually was sometimes permitted, and this "Changeable Dungeon" was one such case.

"Four Lava Turtles spotted 80 meters ahead!"

Monsters began to appear as they entered the middle section of the dungeon.

They were Lava Turtles, their entire bodies—starting from their shells—dyed a burning red.

"Mages will attack first, then the swordsmen and spearmen will move in."
"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers prepared for the attack at the platoon leader's command.

Since they lacked shieldmen to block monster attacks at the front, they adopted a strategy of weakening the monsters with a preemptive strike.

Long-range spells like Ice Arrow, Water Ball, and Mana Strike were fired at the group of Lava Turtles.

Sergeant Yun Seong-jin, true to his role as a squad leader, quickly cast a frost-attribute spell.

Guwaaaa!

The effect was excellent. The creatures let out angry shrieks and rushed toward the soldiers. Since they were Level 3 monsters with high durability, a few magic bolts weren't enough to kill them.

Of course, even so, they weren't a major threat. There was a reason the Lava Turtle was called the "Generous Turtle."

They were "rushing," but their speed was more like a toddler's crawl.

Their movements were simply too slow.

"Don't let your guard down just because they're slow!"
"Yes, sir!"

Of course, letting one's guard down could lead to disaster.

This was because Lava Turtles would spit out fireballs once an enemy entered their range.

Despite looking like sturdy tanks, they were creatures that flung fireballs like mages.

"The one on the right has its mouth open. Dodge it well."
"Okay!"

The soldiers skillfully dodged the fireballs while battling the Lava Turtles.

Their sturdy-looking heads were surprisingly their weak point; they could be defeated by simply slashing or stabbing them there.

It was even easier thanks to the mages providing constant magical support.

'Sweet, so sweet.'

Now that Kim Hyun-jun had reached the rank of Corporal, he dealt with the monsters to his heart's content without worrying about what his seniors thought.

The fireballs they launched were no threat to him at all.

He could simply deflect the attacks by imbuing his spear with mana or twist his body to evade them.

[You have defeated a monster.]
[You have obtained 30 gold.]

Being Level 3 monsters, the experience and gold gain were quite substantial.

It was the result of his active participation in the battle.

As expected, the Generous Turtle was good for the body. If only the dungeon environment wasn't so poor. He felt like he could hunt them all day.

"Make sure to hydrate frequently! There is lava flowing ahead, so move with caution!"
"Yes, sir!"

There were no difficulties in the combat department. What tormented the soldiers were the heat and the environment inside the dungeon.

In particular, when crossing the orange lava zones that seemed to flow sluggishly, the soldiers broke out in a cold sweat.

A single misstep would result in a major catastrophe.

"Corporal Han Ji-han. Your posture is leaning slightly to the right."
"Eh? Oh, okay. Thanks."
"Sergeant Yun Seong-jin. It's more stable if you move further to the left from there."
"…Right."

Of course, no such accidents occurred. The soldiers crossed the lava zones carefully, and Kim Hyun-jun meticulously checked their postures.

'I feel like I can see things better.'

Unlike before, he felt he could catch even the slightest imbalance.

He wondered if this was also thanks to his traits.

"The platoon leader brought a few extra canteens, so speak up if you're low on water."
"Ah! Sir. I finished all my water earlier."
"Ugh! Give me some too!"
"I need some as well!"

At the platoon leader's words, the soldiers reached for the canteens like ghosts. Looking at them now, they were no different from a pack of zombies.

"One at a time, slowly! Do you not want to drink?"
"We do!"

After finishing their hydration, the dungeon raid resumed.

In the meantime, the raid team had defeated a total of 14 Lava Turtles.

One of them was in a difficult position where the soldiers' attacks couldn't reach, but Kim Hyun-jun resolved it.

He used his Snaring Spear to pull the monster from a spot even the mages' spells couldn't properly hit.

"The spear isn't a landing net, so how are you pulling that heavy thing?"

The soldiers who saw Kim Hyun-jun's skill for the first time were surprised and fascinated.

They questioned whether using a spear for such a purpose was even right.

"Haha. It just turned out that way while I was practicing."

Kim Hyun-jun himself remained nonchalant.

***

"There's only one boss monster left, so everyone, stay focused and give it your all."

The dungeon raid was now nearing its end. The dungeon would be cleared once the final remaining boss monster was defeated.

"Ah. I want to get out quickly. My whole body is soaked in sweat."
"This is the problem with Changeable Dungeons. There's no middle ground."
"It's either horribly hot, horribly cold, or sticky. Ugh."

The Corporals and Sergeants, who were slowly getting exhausted by the heat radiating from the dungeon, grumbled. They exchanged talk about how they would take a cold shower immediately upon returning.

'I'm hot too.'

It was the same for Kim Hyun-jun. The heat was nothing at first, but after repeated battles, he was starting to feel the fatigue.

'Still, I've improved a lot compared to back then.'

When he was a Sergeant, he had barely managed to fight while gasping for air as if he were about to die. Even then, he had only managed to catch a few.

"Everyone worked hard to get here. Let's finish strong until the end. Replenish your health and mana with recovery potions."
"Understood!"

A point about 200 meters away from the boss monster. The soldiers finished their final preparations according to the platoon leader's orders.

"The Great Lava Turtle's heat is intense. Mages, more than usual… Hmm?"

The platoon leader, who was delivering the final instructions, looked down when he felt something catch on his foot.

Kieek?

A head and legs popped out from what he thought was an empty shell.

It was a baby Lava Turtle. Being just a hatchling, it seemed to have no ill will as it flailed its limbs, trying to flip itself over.

"Cu-Cute…."
"Do we have to kill this one too?"

The soldiers, experiencing this for the first time, looked at the monster with adoring eyes. Depending on the type, baby monsters could look quite cute.

However, that was only from the perspective of an average soldier. Kim Hyun-jun and Second Lieutenant Kim Dong-woo realized the current situation was unusual.

'The fact that there's a hatchling near the final boss monster means….'

It meant there was a high probability that the hatchling belonged to the Great Lava Turtle.

"Platoon Leader!"

Having made a quick judgment, Kim Hyun-jun reported to the platoon leader.

His opinion was that they had to leave this area.

"…Right. I was just thinking the same thing."

The Great Lava Turtle is usually just an average boss monster, but it occasionally becomes ferocious.

One of those times is when its young is disturbed.

A frenzied Great Lava Turtle mindlessly destroys and rams everything in its surroundings. If that happens, the difficulty of the raid doesn't just double. It becomes three or four times harder.

'We haven't touched it yet, so it should be fine.'

In this case, they would have to take a long detour via another route.

It would take more time, but wasn't clearing the dungeon safely the priority?

"Bypassing the route to Route B."

The platoon leader must have thought the same, as he gave the order to the soldiers.

Just as they were about to move their feet….

Ding.

A hologram appeared before Kim Hyun-jun's eyes.

[Sudden Quest]
Attract the Boss Monster's attention (5 minutes or more)
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Reward: 800 gold, a moderate amount of experience

A sudden quest had appeared in this situation.

'Are you kidding me? You want me to drag the boss monster out here?'

Kim Hyun-jun's expression crumpled. The reward for the suddenly appearing quest was quite good.

However, drawing out the boss monster here was too dangerous. The terrain was too treacherous for combat.

'30 minutes won't be enough time either.'

It was a shame, but what could he do? He couldn't put his platoon members in danger for his own greed.

He moved his finger toward the hologram window to dismiss it.

But at that moment, an anomaly occurred.

Kieeeeeee!

The baby Lava Turtle suddenly let out a scream.

"Everyone, get away! Quickly!"
"Ye-Yes, sir!"
"Run!"

Feeling that the cry was ominous, the soldiers began to bolt.

Kuwooooar!

But it was already too late. Along with a massive roar from within, the ground began to shake violently.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The boss monster, which would normally have moved sluggishly, was remarkably fast.

That massive, heavy frame was on the verge of catching up to the soldiers in no time.

"Damn it! Why is this suddenly going so wrong!"
"Don't look back, just run!"
"Run instead of talking!"

A dungeon is a place where things can go wrong and get twisted in strange places even when the raid seems to be proceeding as expected.

That was the case now. Who would have known a baby Lava Turtle would be near the boss monster?

It was information even the dungeon investigation team hadn't known.

"Platoon Leader! At this rate, we'll be caught! I'll draw its attention!"

Since things had turned out this way, Kim Hyun-jun asked for the platoon leader's permission.

He would draw its attention until the soldiers moved to a safe place.

In other words, he was volunteering to be the bait.

"No! Don't talk back and just run!"

Second Lieutenant Kim Dong-woo refused flatly.

Surviving by using a soldier, a member of his platoon, as a sacrificial lamb?

His pride as a platoon leader would not allow it.

He would rather act as the bait himself than make Kim Hyun-jun do such a thing.

"Platoon Leader. I'm confident. Please trust me."

Even so, Kim Hyun-jun did not give up. He repeatedly requested to be entrusted with it, saying he had a plan.

'…At this rate, several people might die.'

It was true that the situation was dire. The frenzied boss monster was closing the distance fiercely even now.

On the other hand, the soldiers? They were quite exhausted compared to when they first entered the dungeon.

It was only a matter of time before they were caught.

After agonizing over the decision, Second Lieutenant Kim Dong-woo gave Kim Hyun-jun the order to return alive without fail.

He would have refused until the end if it were any other soldier, but what Kim Hyun-jun had shown so far was different.

He felt that Kim Hyun-jun might show him something again this time.

"Corporal Kim Hyun-jun. Do not worry, sir."

Unlike the grim-faced platoon leader, Kim Hyun-jun's face was calm.

'So the situation turned out like this.'

The fact that things got twisted was actually good for Kim Hyun-jun.

He was now able to challenge the sudden quest he had been about to give up on.

'5 minutes? I can easily do that.'

Not only that, but he felt that if he utilized the terrain well, it was truly worth a shot.