In a way, it was a skill used as a debuff to maximize a priest’s holy attacks, but because it strengthened the target through the dark attribute, it seemed to be recognized as a buff.
That was why it could be applied to the area-of-effect skill window when he tested it out.
“Oh! This changes everything. Doesn’t this mean I can turn all of them into the dark attribute?”
Dark Attribute Infusion had a cooldown, but it wasn’t particularly long.
This meant he could use it continuously with a slight time delay.
“It consumes a massive amount of divine power, so I can’t just spam it. I’ll use it moderately until the first support arrives.”
Since reaching A-rank, the divine power consumption of his skills had generally increased.
Of course, the efficiency of the skills had also risen drastically enough to make the cost worthwhile.
However, switching a buff skill to area-of-effect mode further increased the consumption.
Moreover, in the case of Dark Attribute Infusion, the increase in divine power consumption was significantly higher compared to other skills.
Therefore, he couldn’t help but feel some pressure about using it recklessly.
“That’s more than enough. Should I start first? Or will you, Brother?”
At Yu-seon’s question about who would start, Seong-jun smiled and replied.
“You go first.”
When he conceded the first move, Yu-seon cast her skill with a smirk.
“Okay! Then I’m starting. Wind Spirit’s Bombardment!”
Yu-seon pulled her bowstring to its limit and fired an arrow as she cast the skill.
The arrow, imbued with the power of the wind, shot rapidly into the air.
*Ting!*
*Swooooosh!*
The wind arrow soaring into the sky seemed to crumble for a moment.
*Fshhhh.*
A swarm of Sylphs, looking like tiny fairies, began to manifest.
Roughly 100 Sylphs started raining arrows down from the sky toward the ground.
*Swoosh! Swoosh! Zip! Swoosh!*
The arrows poured out by the 100 spirits all at once swept through the Crimson Tigers on the ground, truly earning the name “bombardment.”
*Boom! Ka-boom! Rumble! Thud! Crash!*
With loud explosions, the area where the spirit’s arrow bombardment struck was utterly devastated.
The skill itself was incredibly powerful, and the Crimson Tigers’ stats had already been lowered by the Sanctuary.
On top of that, since their attribute had been changed to dark via Dark Attribute Infusion, every attack landed as a critical hit due to the Holy Weapon Enchantment.
Despite that, they were still B-rank monsters.
Only a few died within that bombardment.
“Being B-rank, quite a few of them can withstand a single hit.”
Due to the nature of the bombardment, it was common for multiple arrows to strike a single target.
Those that were hit by a concentrated barrage died on the spot.
The survivors didn’t look like they were in good condition either.
“Oh! Yu-seon, that’s quite powerful.”
Since it was the first time Seong-jun had seen Yu-seon fight after her re-awakening, he couldn’t help but be impressed.
“Hmph! It’s too early to be impressed by this. Wind Blade! Five Consecutive Strikes!”
Yu-seon, saying it was too early for admiration, cast another skill.
*Swoooooosh! Swoosh! Zap!*
Five powerful arrows infused with the power of wind were fired at a tremendous speed.
*Bang! Boom! Crash!*
The important thing was that this Wind Blade skill was a piercing type.
It pierced through the first target, a Crimson Tiger, and struck five or six more tigers behind it before losing its momentum.
“Oh! A piercing skill?”
The Crimson Tigers, already heavily damaged by the Wind Spirit’s Bombardment, could not withstand the subsequent Wind Blades and died.
A total of thirty Crimson Tigers seemed to have been eliminated by those five Wind Blades.
Of course, it would have been difficult to achieve this level of power without Seong-jun’s buffs, but it was undoubtedly a very powerful skill regardless.
“I’m only Level 1, so I only have three skills. Now, this is my final skill and my ultimate. Spirit Magic Beam Cannon!”
Yu-seon confidently declared her ultimate move and cast the Spirit Magic Beam Cannon.
*Vroooooom!*
The intermediate wind spirit, Ariel, was summoned and began to inject the power of wind into the bow in Yu-seon’s hand.
As Ariel’s power was infused into the wind arrow notched on the string, its energy rapidly grew stronger.
And then.
*Ting!*
She released the fully drawn string.
*K-booooooooom!*
A massive arrow containing an enormous amount of energy shot forward, swallowing everything in its path as if a laser cannon had been fired.
“Whoa! What in the…!”
The Spirit Magic Beam Cannon, carrying such immense energy, crossed the 500-meter range of the Sanctuary and only lost its strength near the portal where the Dungeon Break had occurred.
Among the Crimson Tigers swept away by the Spirit Magic Beam Cannon, those inside the Sanctuary died instantly, while those outside also appeared to have taken severe damage, unable to stand properly.
“I guess this counts as a flashy debut? Oh! By the way, Spirit Magic Beam Cannon has a 2-hour cooldown, so once I use it, I have to wait a long time. Also, my basic attacks have changed to wind arrows imbued with spirit energy, and a homing function has been added.”
Strictly speaking, she still had the Lightning Arrow she could cast through the Ring of Lightning, but since that was an artifact skill and not a class skill, she didn’t use it for now.
“It certainly lives up to the name of a hidden class. The power of every single skill is too strong to be considered B-rank.”
“Hey, I wouldn’t have this much power without your buffs, Brother. Anyway, I’ve made the start, so now it’s your turn.”
At Yu-seon’s words, Seong-jun turned his head and looked forward.
The area devastated by Yu-seon’s skills was already being filled again by a new swarm of Crimson Tigers.
“Then shall I begin? But first.”
‘Dark Attribute Infusion! AoE Mode! Target: Crimson Tigers only!’
Seong-jun cast Dark Attribute Infusion once more.
Many of the previously infused Crimson Tigers had been swept away by Yu-seon’s attacks, and new ones had filled their places.
*Whoooooosh!*
After converting the Crimson Tigers’ attribute to dark, Seong-jun immediately cast his skill.
‘God’s Wrath!’
The first skill he cast was God’s Wrath, the core skill of Ermia Jaelin and his most powerful area-of-effect skill.
*K-raaaaaaaak!*
As he cast God’s Wrath, an intense pillar of light struck the location Seong-jun designated.
*Boom!*
The first Crimson Tiger hit directly by the pillar of light died instantly.
*K-boom! Rumble! Crash!*
The aftermath spread from that point to a massive area with a radius of 500 meters.
Although the damage was reduced by 50% compared to the initial strike, the base damage was so high—and especially because it landed as a critical hit on those turned to the dark attribute—the impact was stronger than expected.
“Huh! Wh-what is that!”
“M-my god! Is that even possible?”
The Hunters were already amazed by the majesty Yu-seon had shown, but the single strike of God’s Wrath that Seong-jun unleashed left them with their mouths agape.
It was just one attack, but in an instant, the dark-attributed Crimson Tigers within the Sanctuary died, and those outside it also seemed to have suffered massive damage.
Yu-seon, seeing the God’s Wrath Seong-jun had cast, spoke as if grumbling.
“Ha! Are you kidding me? Are you really a healer? How can a healer deal more damage than a dealer? And what’s with this insane range? Tell me the truth. You’re not a healer, you’re a mage who can heal and buff, right?”
Looking only at the God’s Wrath he had just cast, it wouldn’t be strange to call him a mage who boasted powerful single-hit damage.
“Ha, haha. I guess so. I didn’t know it would be this powerful either.”
In truth, Seong-jun himself was the most surprised.
Since its damage was relatively weak compared to Strike of Wrath, he hadn’t expected much, but it was more powerful than he imagined.
‘Huh! Was this skill really this powerful? I must have misjudged it. Because the damage was lower than Strike of Wrath, I didn’t have high expectations, but this skill itself was specialized for normal monsters rather than bosses or elites.’
He had been comparing it to the wrong things.
When facing a boss, Strike of Wrath, which boasted more than twice the damage of God’s Wrath, would naturally be the first choice.
The same applied to elite monsters.
But what if they weren’t bosses or elites, but normal monsters?
And what if, instead of a small group of two or three, he had to face hundreds or thousands of monsters as he did now?
From its powerful damage to its massive 500-meter radius, it was truly a skill specialized for large-scale battles.
‘That’s why God’s Wrath was classified as a core skill for Ermia Jaelin. The continent is a place where small and large wars are constantly breaking out.’
Only after casting it did Seong-jun realize the true power of God’s Wrath, and a look of understanding crossed his face.
***
Meanwhile, the Hunters constructing the main defense line were at a loss for words before the overwhelming power of God’s Wrath.
“…”
“…”
Representing them, Hwang Man-seok spoke up instead.
“Um, are you really a healer? How can a healer have such a powerful area-of-effect skill…?”
Seeing Hwang Man-seok’s bewildered expression, Seong-jun spoke awkwardly.
“Haha, it is a bit powerful, isn’t it? It’s like an ultimate move, so I can’t use it often. Anyway, with this, we should be able to hold out until the first support arrives.”
As Seong-jun quickly changed the subject, Hwang Man-seok nodded and said, “At this rate, we could hold out not just for the first support, but until the main force from Seoul arrives.”
From All-in-One to the continuous healing skill and the Sanctuary, every condition had been met for even C-rank tankers to perform at a level equivalent to at least B-rank or even A-rank.
Moreover, since a significant number of monsters had been swept away by Yu-seon and Seong-jun, they were somewhat freed from the pressure of numbers.
New Crimson Tigers were filling the gaps, but the pressure wasn’t as intense as before.
Under these circumstances, it seemed they could hold out until the arrival of the second support, the main force.
“Since we’ll need the main force to arrive before we can switch to the offensive, let’s hold out as much as possible until then. We’ll continue to help actively.”
In the meantime, another fierce battle broke out with the Crimson Tigers that had entered the Sanctuary, but they no longer looked as precarious as before.
Although many B-rankers had been diverted to the sub-defense lines, leaving the main line mostly composed of C-rank tankers, the main defense line remained firm.
***
The hunters from the super-large guilds who arrived at the airfield immediately moved to the Dungeon Break area using vehicles.
Among them was the Path of Glory guild.
“What is the current situation? It won’t be easy to maintain the defense line because of the lack of A-rank and even B-rank hunters. If the defense line has collapsed, it might be better to establish a new defense line in another area rather than moving there.”
At Guild Master Yu Se-hyeon’s words, a subordinate hunter hastily replied.
“I don’t know the exact details, but I heard they are still maintaining the defense line. An acquaintance of mine is participating in the main defense line as a long-range dealer. Should I ask about the situation?”
Yu Se-hyeon nodded at his words.
“Is that so? Then that would be good. We need to know the detailed situation to prepare ourselves. Anyway, the fact that they’re still holding out means they built a sturdier defense line than I expected.”
Yu Se-hyeon had expected the line to collapse quickly since it was mostly composed of C-rankers, so he was surprised to hear they were holding out so well.
“I hope they can hold out until we get there. Then we can turn the tide somehow.”
As many as three of the top ten domestic guilds were heading there.
Although their combined strength was somewhat insufficient to transition to an offensive, it was enough to hold out until the main force from Seoul arrived.
“They won’t be able to hold out for long. It’s probably just the beginning, so they’re managing somehow, but after a while, the number of monsters will swell enormously. It’s a pity. If only we had received the contact a little earlier, the situation might have been different.”
In Yu Se-hyeon’s view, it would be difficult for them to maintain the defense line until his arrival.
Defending against B-rank monsters with a C-rank-centric lineup was nearly impossible.
That was why he felt even more regretful about not getting the call sooner.
He thought the defense line had survived the initial clash because it was surprisingly solid, and if they had been contacted earlier and moved faster, they could have arrived before the situation worsened.
As he looked out the window with a bitter expression.
“Wh-what are you talking about? A healer used an AoE buff that raised basic stats to A-rank level? And what? Hundreds of Crimson Tigers disappeared with a single skill? Are you writing a novel right now?”
The hunter in the front seat, who was on the phone with his acquaintance at the main defense line, raised his voice in disbelief.
Yu Se-hyeon turned to him.
“What’s the matter?”
The hunter spoke with a bewildered face.
“Oh! M-my apologies. It’s just that I heard something unbelievable…”
“What did you hear to make you so flustered?”
When asked what he had heard, the hunter quickly spoke into his phone.
“I’ll call you back in a bit. Let’s hang up for now.”
After finishing the call, the hunter explained the current situation.
“That… haaa, this makes no sense no matter how I think about it, but apparently, while they were struggling to hold out and it wouldn’t have been strange for the line to collapse at any moment, a healer appeared. And that healer cast a buff that raises basic stats to A-rank, used a continuous heal with a massive amount of regeneration, and also deployed something called a Sanctuary. The hunters inside are strengthened while the monsters that enter are weakened.”
Yu Se-hyeon, listening to the guild member, also wore a stunned expression.
“Huh! Is that even possible?”
“If that were all, it would be one thing, but he also cast an incredible attack skill that wiped out a swarm of monsters. Furthermore, the long-range dealer who came with him also fired off monstrous attack skills and swept them away. Anyway, because of that, the defense line is still holding, and at this rate, it looks like they can easily hold out until not just us, but the main force from Seoul arrives.”
Listening to the explanation, Yu Se-hyeon felt something was strange.
‘What? A healer capable of healing, buffing, and attacking? Wait! Don’t tell me this is…’
Yu Se-hyeon knew only one hunter who was capable of everything the guild member was describing.
However, according to the information he had, the man shouldn’t be this powerful yet. He asked as if to confirm.
“By any chance, do you know the name of that healer?”
At Yu Se-hyeon’s urgent question, the guild member picked up his phone again.
“Pardon? Oh! J-just a moment.”
He called his acquaintance again.
*Ring, ring, ring~*
After a short while, as if the other party had answered, he asked hurriedly.
“Hey! It’s me! Do you know the name of that healer? What? Kim Seong-jun? Got it! I’ll call you back.”
The hunter, having confirmed the name, finished the call and spoke to Yu Se-hyeon.
“He says it’s Kim Seong-jun.”
Since Seong-jun had shared his name when joining the main line, it seemed his name had spread through the hunters who were nearby at the time.
Hearing the name Kim Seong-jun, Yu Se-hyeon looked as if his suspicions were confirmed, but also appeared deeply shocked.
“Ha, haha. Kim Seong-jun. I knew it. He’s this powerful already? I thought he was a reclining dragon with high growth potential, but it turns out he was a fully grown dragon all along.”
The only ones who could change the course of large-scale events like a Dungeon Break single-handedly were S-rankers.
S-rankers were literally off the charts and were treated as one-man armies.
Yet, Seong-jun was performing such a feat right now.
He was carrying a defense line that should have collapsed on his own; if this wasn’t an achievement on par with an S-rank, then what was?
Yu Se-hyeon didn’t know Seong-jun’s exact rank, but based on what he had heard, he was performing at an S-rank level.
This made Yu Se-hyeon feel a sense of urgency.
‘The other guys will surely try to figure out the situation on the ground. Then they’ll find out about Kim Seong-jun. Even though I have a connection with him, I can’t say that alone puts me at an advantage over the others. For the sake of the future, I need to establish a clear superiority over the others in my relationship with him.’
Having sorted his thoughts, Yu Se-hyeon spoke urgently.
“We need to speed up! Our guild must arrive at the scene before the others. Contact the other vehicles and tell them to go as fast as possible!”
Yu Se-hyeon planned to arrive before the other guilds and meet Seong-jun.
Among the masters of the top ten guilds, Yu Se-hyeon was the only one who had met Seong-jun in person, but frankly, having met him just once wasn’t enough to claim superiority over other guilds.
Therefore, he intended to arrive first and further strengthen his bond with Seong-jun.