Chapter 49: Koolan (2)

[Archdemon Ten Captain Koolan claims the first Wave Boss position!]
[The dungeon’s content is changing!]
[The dungeon’s difficulty is increasing!]

The gate, which had been a deep violet, darkened as if burned by charcoal.

It was a sign that the dungeon’s difficulty had risen.

Taehoo couldn’t help but feel unsettled.

‘Is it possible that Ba’al’s very existence can influence the dungeon?’

Taehoo was the only one who knew of Ba’al’s presence.

He alone could infer the meaning behind the message.

After all, who else in this place could be called an Archdemon?

This was the very first gate they had entered.

Even though he had proceeded with the quest with utmost caution, he never expected such a variable to arise.

‘It’s hard to believe every dungeon will be affected like this. Then… could this be why only demon-type monsters are flooding in?’

Taehoo instinctively speculated the cause.

But with the situation already underway, the cause no longer mattered.

‘The core question is whether we can handle the changed dungeon or not.’

That was the key.

‘The boss is one of the Ten Captains, Ba’al. What level are the ordinary Ten Captains roughly at?’

Taehoo asked without hesitation.

Ba’al was the most accurate gauge of demon strength right now.

That Kulran guy was already hanging one arm through the gate.

[Don’t worry, at your current level, you can handle it just fine.]

Ba’al’s voice was deeper than usual.

He was probably still trying to figure out why this was happening.

Despite Ba’al’s serious tone, Taehoo was satisfied with that answer for now.

Of course, it wasn’t time to completely relax.

Even if the current boss was manageable, there was no guarantee the next wave would be the same.

‘I’ll have to hope we get some time before the next wave.’

He needed time to consider as many possibilities as possible and devise countermeasures.

‘First, I need to get things under control.’

Kulran was trying to climb out, using the ground between the split fissures as support inside the gate.

Taehoo trusted Ba’al’s assessment and dashed toward him without hesitation.

The distance closed in an instant, and Kulran’s enormous arm came fully into view in front of Taehoo.

Imagining the entire body emerging from there was already intimidating just from its sheer size.

‘If he’s someone I can handle, I’ll suppress him before he fully appears.’

With that resolve, Taehoo slammed his foot into the ground and swung the Fallen Flower Sword in his hand.

It wasn’t a clean cut.

Rather than feeling like slicing through flesh, it felt like the blade struck solid iron.

Even as a Ten Captain, demons far surpassed ordinary human flesh.

But the opponent was unfortunate.

While the combined strength of the other four party members might only manage to scratch this massive arm,

Taehoo’s skill level was enough to cut cleanly through it.

Crack!

The arm that had been pushing off the ground was severed entirely at the wrist.

‘He’s definitely someone I can take on. Good thing I trusted Ba’al’s judgment.’

Taehoo thought as he severed the arm,

A scream tore through the air.

From the cross-section of the severed limb, violet blood sprayed out.

“Who dares!”

A voice filled with boiling rage pierced Taehoo’s ears.

Kulran was already struggling mightily to descend into a dungeon that far exceeded his level, and now with his arm cut off, his fury was understandable.

Of course, Taehoo had no concern for Kulran’s feelings.

‘With that strike, he’s basically hanging on the cliff with one hand now.’

Taehoo precisely assessed the opponent’s state and immediately moved to the next action.

Without hesitation, he shifted to attack with the other arm.

Kulran wasn’t foolish and knew where the next attack would come from.

[Ten Captain Kulran summons his Followers!]

With the message, Kulran’s demonic energy exploded outward, engulfing the surroundings.

The title of Ten Captain meant he commanded ten Followers.

From the swirling demonic energy, new monsters crawled out.

They were demons with gaunt, ash-gray skin, shaped roughly like humans.

Crack, crack.

Their long arms scraped the ground, nails dragging noisily.

Where their eyes should have been was hollow, and their lips were sewn shut with stitches.

Grotesque forms one might only imagine in nightmares.

Taehoo fixed his gaze on their unfamiliar appearance and maintained his tension.

Then he noticed something strange.

‘These guys… aren’t moving at all after coming out of the space. What’s going on?’

Like puppets without will.

[Exactly. They’re nothing but puppets without will. No way a Ten Captain would summon proper Followers.]

Ba’al chuckled in agreement with Taehoo.

Indeed, the energy emanating from these creatures wasn’t impressive.

No matter how he looked at it, they were nothing more than time-wasting distractions.

‘The strength they’re showing barely surpasses Cerberus or Gargoyles.’

In that case, there was no reason to drag things out.

• Before they could act, Taehoo took the initiative.

The puppets responded as if waiting, claws raised.

Ten puppets lunged simultaneously at Taehoo.

A perfectly coordinated attack.

But individually, none of the puppets could contend with Taehoo.

Swish!

One demon who charged boldly was sliced in half.

The disparity in power was clear.

If they had any emotions, they would have hesitated from fear at such a sight.

But proving they had none, they didn’t stop moving.

Screech!

They made bizarre sounds and charged even more fiercely.

Taehoo didn’t pause after cutting one down.

Facing many enemies, two swords were better than one.

The Fallen Flower Sword disappeared from his hand, and the two daggers hanging at his waist were grabbed, one in each hand.

As the Followers launched their attacks, Taehoo cloaked the daggers in Aura.

He had already mastered manipulating Aura to its extreme from training with Namjin.

Clang!

Before his now free arms, the demons’ combined attacks were all blocked.

The clashing of swords and claws rang with metallic friction.

Nine demons pressed their assault, but none could land a hit in the fierce back-and-forth.

Shing!

Amid the fierce battle, the metallic sound changed to the slicing sound of blades.

Two demons’ heads fell in an instant.

At the same time,

Crunch!

The sound of a skull being crushed echoed.

“I’m here to help!”

The group who had evacuated the villagers joined the fight.

Though young, they were Hunters from the Nam Clan, the strongest in Korea.

They might lack some experience, but they were far from a force that would be overwhelmed by minions like Cerberus or Gargoyles.

And they weren’t weak enough to show mercy either.

This team was certainly not lacking to handle one person’s share in this dungeon run.

‘They didn’t just throw in a bunch of useless people.’

Taehoo was quite satisfied by that.

Especially the Twins of the Joo Family’s Joint Technique was of a remarkably high standard, even to Taehoo’s eyes.

‘Talented individuals.’

If the opportunity arose, he wanted to bring them under his wing.

‘Why haven’t these capable ones caught the eye of the other seniors yet?’

A fleeting doubt flickered in Taehoo’s mind, but

“Leave these guys to me for now.”

It wasn’t time to dwell on that.

The Ten Captain’s efforts had already bought significant time.

Taehoo left the remaining foes to the joined team and headed straight for Kulran.

‘Time’s been dragged out quite a bit. I need to cut off his remaining arm and stop his descent.’

At that moment, a message rang out.

[The first Wave Boss “Kulran” has successfully descended!]

Bang!

Taehoo had expected it would take a little longer, but Kulran’s descent finished surprisingly fast.

The ground shook again.

Pieces of earth flew everywhere.

The abyss-like cliff expanded its territory.

The Cerberus that hadn’t avoided the falling ground plunged downwards.

Amid the tremendous roar that engulfed the area,

“Who did this to my arm?”

A voice full of rage stabbed like a dagger.

Kulran’s overwhelming presence vibrated through Taehoo’s whole body.

The Archdemon’s true form finally stood above ground.

The arm that had been spraying blood was already regenerated.

A towering figure about three meters tall, with horns like a ram’s on his broad forehead and facial features resembling a bull’s.

His eyes bloodshot and fixed on Taehoo.

“It’s you!”

As soon as he spotted Taehoo, Kulran slammed the freshly regenerated arm downward.

He failed to stop the descent and dealt a blow to Taehoo.

Taehoo leapt aside just in time to dodge Kulran’s fist.

‘Stopping his descent was a failure. And I almost got hit just now…’

At a glance, it looked like a dire situation.

Failing to stop his descent was certainly a serious mistake.

But calling it a crisis was a stretch,

“You should have gone back when your arm was cut off.”

The difference in power was evident.

Swish!

The Fallen Flower Sword was already back in Taehoo’s hand.

The dark blade, pulsating with power, sliced through Kulran’s arm again.

‘This feeling… a human inheriting the Sword God’s power…!’

Kulran saw the Aura that cut off his arm and was convinced.

Just seeing that with his own eyes made the loss of an arm—or even life—worth it.

‘I’ve finally found it!’

This was the power Kulran’s master, the Archdemon, had been searching for.

Kulran shouted, drunk on ecstasy.

“I don’t know how you handle an Archdemon’s power, but you’ll have to prove it!”

‘Prove it?’

For a moment, Taehoo was puzzled by Kulran’s words.

He understood that as a fellow demon, Kulran could sense Ba’al’s power.

But what was he supposed to prove? And why was this guy shouting in excitement despite facing death?

That was utterly incomprehensible.

Then—

[Wave Boss “Kulran” ignites his life force!]
[Transmitting a message with his last strength!]

Taehoo’s instincts sounded alarm bells.

He had to stop this, no matter what!

‘What is he trying to do…!’

No more variables were welcome.

Taehoo condensed Aura into his blade to the fullest.

The swirling black Aura shrank in form until only the blade remained.

From the somberly glowing Fallen Flower Sword, an extraordinary energy radiated.

Taehoo charged straight at Kulran’s neck.

The slicing sound that followed was sharp and final.

Kulran’s massive body collapsed.

His head rolled on the ground.

[Quest conditions cleared!]
[First Wave successfully repelled!]
[Archdemon Ten Captain eliminated!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]

There was no sign of the message Kulran had tried to send with his life.

Nor were the monsters that had filled the area visible anymore.

The puppets Kulran had summoned had also vanished.

‘Did we stop it?’

Villagers who had left the shelters were now cheering loudly.

‘It’s finally over, for now.’

An undeniable sight.

At that moment Taehoo relaxed.

[Hidden Threat in the Village!]
There is a follower of the Archdemon hiding in your village! Find and eliminate him. Only then will the invasion cease!

The message struck like lightning.

Unlike the usual quest format, it was more like a letter.

Soon, the message’s impact was clearly visible throughout the village.

“W-What is this?”

“A follower of the Archdemon?”

The first to be confused were the clan members accompanying Taehoo.

“W-What does this mean?”

“Is there a follower among us?”

“The invasion isn’t stopping! Didn’t the heroes resolve everything?”

Next came the villagers.

Kulran had sown an irreversible seed of suspicion before dying.

[Five days remain until the next wave!]
[The changed dungeon content remains!]

Ignoring the messages, Taehoo closed his eyes.

‘We’ve been hit hard.’

He never imagined the demons would cause division and disappear.

Then—

[New quest received!]

‘Another quest?’

A second message arrived suddenly.

[The True Meaning of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony according to Namjin]

The true meaning of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony?

Wasn’t clearing a dungeon the ceremony itself?

Was there some other meaning? What else could be left?

As Taehoo pondered the question, a crushing realization hit him like a hammer.

‘Grandfather knew this would happen…?’

A chill ran down his spine.

How far had his grandfather’s predictions gone?

Taehoo tightened his coat against the cold.

No matter how he thought about it, this was beyond human foresight.

It was almost prophetic.

‘So it’s connected to the Sword God?’

Given recent events in the Sanctuary and Namjin’s special relationship with the Sword God,

it was possible the Sword God had told Namjin something.

The idea wasn’t far-fetched.

‘Hoo, I always say he surprises me…’

Taehoo turned his body toward the village.

‘Grandfather, how far does your reach really go…?’

They had spent the most time together since his return, but he was truly unfathomable.

‘If you have a wish, I’ll make it happen.’

Namjin was always someone who made sure his efforts were rewarded.

Taehoo still didn’t fully grasp Namjin’s true intentions, but he was sure it wouldn’t be to his detriment.

‘First, I’ll return and assess the situation.’

Without hesitation, Taehoo moved forward.