The Chairman and the Association executives were gathered in a meeting room, watching the situation unfold on a screen.
As civilians, it was naturally too dangerous for them to be at the scene.
More importantly, they would only be in the way.
“Ha! To think a defense line on the verge of collapse could become so sturdy with the arrival of just one person. Who on earth is that healer? And who is that archer? Based on their skills alone, they look to be at least A-Class, but their faces aren’t familiar at all.”
“I checked on that immediately. The one presumed to be a healer is Kim Seong-jun, an F-Class buffer, and the archer has been identified as Choi Yu-seon, an F-Class ranger.”
They had quickly verified the information on Seong-jun’s party.
However, since the Association’s records predated their re-awakening, both Seong-jun and Yu-seon were still listed as F-Class.
“F-Class? Those two? No, are you even hearing yourself right now? Where in the world do they look like F-Class?”
“They obviously re-awakened. They probably haven’t taken the re-awakening test yet. Do I really have to spell that out for you? You should be able to tell just by looking at them.”
“What did you just say?”
As voices began to rise over a trivial matter, the Chairman stepped in.
“Everyone, be quiet.”
At the Chairman’s command, the executives shut their mouths.
“Ugh…!”
“Ahem!”
“…”
Watching them, the Chairman spoke again.
“The entire Taean County was on the verge of being devastated. Fortunately, the first support wave that left on the private jet has joined, and the defense line is stable. However, the battlefield is a place where variables can occur at any time and place. Should you really be raising your voices over something so pointless? This is exactly why people call our discussions pointless desk theories.”
Under the Chairman’s sharp rebuke, the executives looked away, appearing uncomfortable.
“…”
“…”
The Chairman continued.
“Now that the first support wave has joined, barring any major variables, the line will hold until the main force arrives from Seoul. That means we will be able to stop a B-Class Dungeon Break without significant casualties. We need to prepare for what comes after.”
The Chairman was certain that the Dungeon Break would not spread further and would conclude in its current state.
He insisted they prepare for the aftermath.
“What do you mean by ‘after’…”
“This is a B-Class Dungeon Break. Nowhere in the world is there a case where a B-Class Dungeon Break was stopped with so little damage. We must seize this opportunity. At a time when public opinion of the Association is poor, this is a golden chance to refresh the atmosphere.”
Currently, the public’s view of the Korean Awakener Association was not favorable.
There were several reasons, but the biggest was that the Chairman and all subordinate executives were civilians.
The critics argued that if the Association claimed to represent Awakeners, the Chairman should at least be an Awakener.
Since all major positions were filled by civilians, everything from villain response to tasks requiring martial force was carried out with the help of the various guilds.
Consequently, there were even voices calling the Association useless.
From civilians to Awakeners, the sentiment toward the Association was cold.
The Chairman needed something to turn this atmosphere around.
It was then that this incident occurred at the perfect time.
Had this Dungeon Break spread, the arguments for the Association’s uselessness would have gained more weight.
Fortunately, with Seong-jun’s appearance, it looked as though they would stop the Dungeon Break without any notable damage—and a B-Class one at that.
The Chairman intended to turn this into a breakthrough.
“It is certainly true that there are no cases of a B-Class Dungeon Break being stopped with this little damage. But strictly speaking, didn’t we do practically nothing? How exactly do you plan to use this to change the atmosphere?”
At the executive’s question, the Chairman smiled and answered.
“If the Dungeon Break ends like this, who will be considered the primary contributor? Naturally, it will be that healer, Kim Seong-jun. Without him, the line would have collapsed long ago. We need to target Kim Seong-jun.”
At the mention of targeting Seong-jun, several executives nodded.
“Indeed. As far as I know, Hunter Kim Seong-jun is not affiliated with any guild yet. The same goes for his companions. Are you planning to bring Kim Seong-jun and his party into the Association?”
The Chairman shook his head at the executive’s words.
“Hardly. Would someone of that caliber join the Association? Judging by his performance, he is not inferior even compared to S-Classes who are called one-man strategic weapons. Once this matter is settled, guilds from overseas as well as domestic ones will jump into a recruitment war. I intend to make a deal with Hunter Kim Seong-jun.”
Through this B-Class Dungeon Break, Seong-jun’s existence was carved into the public consciousness.
While Gwang-taek and Yu-seon also showed great performance, it was true that they fell a bit short compared to the impact Seong-jun made.
Because of this, it was certain that not only domestic guilds but also prominent overseas guilds would show interest in him.
In such a situation, did the Association have the competitiveness to rival them?
Therefore, the Chairman intended to negotiate.
“A deal?”
“Yes. What we need is a justification—a claim that the Association played a significant role in stopping this B-Class Dungeon Break. And we can sufficiently obtain that justification through a deal with Kim Seong-jun. So, what we need to do now is think about what we should give him to make the deal happen.”
The Chairman’s plan was to announce that the Association’s contribution to stopping the Dungeon Break was not small through the deal and use that as an opportunity to flip the script.
The problem was what Seong-jun would want in exchange for his cooperation.
Figuring that out was the executives’ job.
***
After the arrival of the first support wave, the defense line became even more solid.
The main line, where three of the nation’s top ten guilds were stationed, was fortified, and since the extra manpower could be diverted to the sub-defense lines, the overall perimeter became quite sturdy.
However, setting everything else aside, it could be said that Seong-jun’s buffs had the greatest impact.
And now…
“The second support wave has finally arrived!”
The second support wave and the main force departing from Seoul arrived at the scene.
“Whoa! To see such big shots that you usually can’t even get a glimpse of from this close. I’ve lived long enough to see this.”
Although the S-Classes were currently overseas and couldn’t attend, almost all of the other famous hunters were gathered in one place.
Perhaps because of that, Gwang-taek stared at the big names with sparkling eyes.
“Your eyeballs are going to pop out. Why don’t you just go ask for an autograph?”
At Yu-seon’s words, Gwang-taek spoke with a serious expression.
“Now isn’t the time for that. Sorting out the Dungeon Break is the priority, right? I’ll do it after we’re done. As you know, I’m a fan of Hunter Jang Seok-hun. Hehehe.”
Jang Seok-hun was the leader of the Red Heart Guild, one of the nation’s top ten guilds, and an A-Class Berserker.
He was known as the strongest dealer in the country, excluding the two S-Classes. Gwang-taek was an ardent fan of his.
“Oh! Gwang-taek, I think your idol is coming this way?”
Indeed, Jang Seok-hun, who had just arrived at the main defense line, was walking toward Seong-jun’s party.
“Gasp! Y-you’re right.”
Behind Jang Seok-hun stood Choi Su-hyeok, an A-Class Tanker who was the vice-leader of the Red Heart Guild and the captain of the first combat team.
Reaching them in no time, Jang Seok-hun extended his hand toward Seong-jun.
“I am Jang Seok-hun of the Red Heart Guild. I watched the footage of your performance on my way here, Seong-jun. You were incredible.”
The reason Jang Seok-hun came here as soon as he arrived was to meet Seong-jun.
Since he had been monitoring the situation on the defense line through video the entire way, he was well aware of how great Seong-jun’s performance was.
Seong-jun smiled and took Jang Seok-hun’s hand.
“I’m Kim Seong-jun. I wouldn’t call it much of a performance. I just gave out some buffs and used a few healing skills.”
“It was thanks to those buffs that the defense line didn’t collapse, and because the line held, there were no civilian casualties. If you hadn’t been here, Seong-jun, the entire Taean area would likely be in ruins by now. The loss of life would have been immense. It is true that you did something incredible.”
To put it bluntly, if the defense line had collapsed, the monsters would have scattered in all directions in an instant.
Naturally, there would have been a staggering number of casualties among the hunters and the civilians who couldn’t evacuate in time.
Property damage would have been astronomical as well.
However, the line had been held firmly until both the first and second support waves arrived, and the biggest contributor to that was Seong-jun.
“Anyway, now that the main force has arrived, the Dungeon Break will finally be cleared.”
Embarrassed by the praise, Seong-jun quickly changed the subject.
Jang Seok-hun smiled and replied.
“If we just defend, there’s no telling when it will end. We plan to switch to the offensive before the boss appears to reduce the number of monsters as much as possible.”
The appearance of elites alone had made the regular monsters stronger.
What would it be like when the boss appeared?
Thus, they intended to switch to the offensive as quickly as possible to thin out the regular monsters.
“It looks like a few more people still need to arrive. I’ll apply the buffs all at once when everyone is here.”
Even though they had departed around the same time, there were slight differences in their arrival times due to various factors.
There were still a few guilds that hadn’t arrived yet.
“Haha, I was curious about what kind of buff could maintain a defense line on the verge of collapse. I’m looking forward to it. Oh! By the way, I heard you haven’t joined a guild yet. Is there any particular guild you have in mind?”
As expected, the reason Jang Seok-hun approached Seong-jun was to recruit him.
At the question, Seong-jun shook his head.
“For now, I want to operate freely with my companions without joining a guild. I plan to avoid joining any guild for at least one year.”
Seong-jun, Gwang-taek, and Yu-seon could join a guild whenever they wanted.
Gwang-taek, a B-Class Tanker, and Yu-seon, a B-Class Hidden Class, would be welcomed anywhere.
Therefore, there was no need to rush.
They could enjoy their freedom for now and join a guild that offered the best terms later.
“Hmm, I see. If you ever change your mind, the doors of the Red Heart Guild are always open. I will offer the best possible treatment not only to you, Hunter Kim Seong-jun, but also to Hunter Park Gwang-taek and Hunter Choi Yu-seon.”
Seong-jun went without saying, but Gwang-taek and Yu-seon were clearly coveted talents as well.
Jang Seok-hun promised the best treatment for all of them.
“Haha, yes. I’ll consider it when the time comes to join a guild.”
Though he wanted to push a little more, Jang Seok-hun refrained.
He knew that doing so could make the other person uncomfortable or even breed resentment.
“Anyway, we should start preparing soon. I’d like to set up a meeting later to talk in more detail. Would that be alright?”
He was backing off for now, but Jang Seok-hun wanted to leave the door open.
“Sure.”
Seong-jun also felt it wasn’t a bad idea to be on good terms with a big shot like Jang Seok-hun, so he readily accepted the offer.
***
Finally, all the main forces from Seoul joined the defense line, and all preparations to switch to the offensive were complete.
Since all the power was concentrated on the main defense line, the attack would only take place there.
The sub-defense lines would maintain their current positions and focus on ensuring no monsters escaped.
“It looks like the preparations are finished.”
At the word that they were ready, Seong-jun immediately cast his skills.
“Then I’ll apply the buffs right now.”
‘All-in-One, Wide-range mode! Healing Light, Wide-range mode!’
Seong-jun immediately cast All-in-One and Healing Light in wide-range mode.
*Flash!*
An intense light erupted from his entire body and spread in all directions in an instant.
Simultaneously, a holy aura radiated from Seong-jun.
“Ha! T-this is the buff? I see. It’s certainly enough to bolster a crumbling defense line.”
“Whoa! What is this! Wow! Seriously! This is a real buff?”
“No way! Base stats are rising by forty thousand? This is insane!”
As All-in-One reached Level 3, the base stat increase became 40,000.
Since this value far exceeded the average of an A-Class, not only the C and B-Classes but even the A-Class hunters could not hide their shock.
What mattered was that All-in-One leveled up once again through this buff.
**[Active skill [All-in-One] has been applied to 1,412 people.]**
**[The level of active skill [All-in-One] has risen from 3 to 4.]**
All-in-One, which had been Level 1 when he first joined the defense line, had reached Level 4 after only three wide-range casts.
‘As expected, the level of All-in-One went up. I’m gaining quite a lot from this incident.’
Since the levels of his main skills had risen by at least one to as many as three levels through this Dungeon Break, it was a very profitable battle for Seong-jun.
Once All-in-One and Healing Light were active in wide-range mode…
“Alright! Let’s go, everyone!”
The full-scale attack began.
“Hahaha! Die, all of you!”
“If I can’t sweep these guys away even with this monstrous buff, I should quit being a hunter!”
*Boom! Boom! Bang! Boom! Crash!*
As the hunters switched to the offensive, the tide of battle turned in an instant.
The hunters, who had been focused solely on defending, charged with fearsome momentum, and the Crimson Tigers, which had been pushing relentlessly, were pushed back in a single moment.
Furthermore, because the hunters were enhanced by Seong-jun’s buffs, the Crimson Tigers were forced back helplessly.
Seong-jun’s party was also at the very front, pushing back the Crimson Tigers.
“Hahaha! Come at me! You little punks!”
Gwang-taek laughed loudly as he pushed the Crimson Tigers with his large shield.
Thanks to the enchantment buff applied only to party members, Gwang-taek had acquired much sturdier defense and far more powerful attack power than ordinary tankers.
Naturally, he was not inferior to A-Class tankers in any aspect.
Meanwhile, Yu-seon, who followed closely behind Gwang-taek and rained down attacks, spoke to Seong-jun.
“Seong-jun, why don’t we take that elite? Who knows? It might drop some loot.”
Yu-seon seemed to be eyeing the elite.
If loot dropped, it would be at least B-Class, so it was hard not to want it.
But Seong-jun shook his head.
“No, leave the elites alone. We’re going for the boss. We don’t need to waste our strength on mere elites.”
Seong-jun was aiming for the boss, not the elites.
At that, Yu-seon looked surprised.
“What? The boss?”
“Yeah, it’s about time for the boss to come out. You know, right? If you catch it inside a dungeon, a reward chest appears, but if you catch a boss that came outside through a Dungeon Break, only the person with the highest contribution gets the reward. So, refrain from using skills and focus on standard attacks until the boss appears. We need to deal as much damage as possible together so one of us can take the reward.”
In the case of a dungeon boss, if it is defeated in the boss room inside the dungeon, a reward chest shared by all raiders appears.
In contrast, a boss that has come out through a Dungeon Break gives a reward only to the single person who achieves the maximum contribution, rather than a shared chest.
Seong-jun was aiming for that boss raid reward.
With Holy Weapon Enchantment on their weapons, if he cast Dark Attribute Infusion and unleashed powerful attack skills, they would be able to deal an enormous amount of damage in a short time.
Seong-jun calculated that if they dealt as much damage as possible in the very beginning, it would be difficult for the other hunters to catch up to his and Yu-seon’s contribution, no matter how powerful their skills were.
“The boss, huh? Okay! A boss is definitely better than an elite! Hehe, it was a stroke of genius to save my Lightning Arrows.”
In Yu-seon’s case, she hadn’t even used her Lightning Arrows yet.
Since she had a full charge of ten shots, it was certain she could deal significant damage if she fired them all at the boss.
“As soon as the boss appears, I’ll cast Dark Attribute Infusion in wide-range mode. Then, Yu-seon, you immediately open a path to the boss with your Spirit Magic Cannon.”
The Spirit Magic Cannon, which dealt powerful damage in a straight line like a laser, was very useful for opening a path to the boss in crowded situations with many monsters.
If they could somehow make a direct run to the boss, they could then deal massive damage to it with the wide-range skills they possessed while clearing out the surrounding monsters at the same time.
The issue was the boss itself.
The key was how much damage they could deal before the main hunters latched onto the boss.
Just as they were pushing back the Crimson Tigers with unstoppable momentum…
*Roaaaaaaaaaar!*
The boss emerged from the massive portal.
“B-boss!”
“The boss has appeared!”
With the appearance of the boss, monsters no longer poured out of the portal.
In fact, the massive portal slowly began to shrink and close.
Seong-jun quickly cast his skill.
‘Dark Attribute Infusion! Wide-range mode!’
The range was five hundred meters, and since they had pushed quite far forward during the offensive, the Dark Attribute Infusion was sufficient to reach the boss even from here.
“Yu-seon! Now!”
As soon as Seong-jun spoke…
“Got it! Spirit Magic Cannon!”
Yu-seon’s ultimate move, the Spirit Magic Cannon, was unleashed from her hands.