When Seong-jun returned home through the portal, it was already past 9:00 PM.
Since he had entered the Privilege Dungeon around 3:00 PM, he had been inside for over 6 hours.
Unfortunately, there was no time to rest.
He had agreed to meet the group at the hideout at 10:00 PM, and he had also told Chang-su to be there by that time.
After a quick wash, Seong-jun headed straight for the hideout.
As he stepped into the secret space on the second basement floor, Gwang-taek greeted him.
“You’re here? But Seong-jun, what’s with your face? The dark circles under your eyes are no joke.”
“Whoa! What happened? Did you not sleep last night?”
Yuseon asked.
If he had merely lost some sleep, it wouldn’t have been this bad.
However, because he had been running around like a madman all night to block the waves, he was utterly exhausted.
“Ha, don’t even ask. Something spectacular happened. Have you ever heard of a Privilege Dungeon?”
“Huh? A Privilege Dungeon? Those exist?”
“Here is what happened…”
Seong-jun calmly explained the events of the previous night.
He told them how the Dungeon Creation Device had woken him at 3:00 AM, how a solo Privilege Dungeon had opened, the process he went through, and what he had gained.
“What! So you’re saying you played a defense game in a solo Privilege Dungeon? And you cleared every single stage, obtained all those monstrous skills, and came back? Plus the Debuff Potions?”
Gwang-taek stared at Seong-jun with an absurd expression.
Since Seong-jun had no reason to lie, it had to be true, but a Privilege Dungeon?
He had never heard of or seen such a thing until now.
“Yeah. Anyway, by the time I finished all of that and came out, it was past 9:00 PM. I got ready in a rush because I was afraid I’d be late.”
Yuseon looked at Seong-jun with sparkling eyes and asked, “But can you really boost Aura and refill consumed Aura? Is that actually possible?”
She seemed very interested in the energy-related skills Seong-jun had acquired.
“In the case of Energy Amplification, it was only 10% when I first got it, but it increased to 20% after it reached Level 1. It seems to increase by 10% per level.”
“Oh! Then I can just spam my skills without worrying about my Aura anymore? Whenever I’m about to run out, you’ll just refill it for me, right?”
At Yuseon’s words, Seong-jun smiled.
“Haha, yeah. Fire off your skills as much as you want. I’ll refill them as fast as they drop. By the way, where’s Chang-su? Is he not here yet?”
Since it was past 10:00 PM and Chang-su was nowhere to be seen, Seong-jun asked curiously.
Judging by his reaction when they parted yesterday, it didn’t seem like he would be late.
Gwang-taek pointed toward the bathroom.
“Chang-su is in the restroom. Don’t even mention it. Yuseon and I arrived at 9:30 PM, and he was already here waiting. He said he’d been waiting since 9:00 PM because he was afraid of being late.”
Indeed, Chang-su had arrived one hour early.
He had only stepped into the bathroom for a moment to take care of business.
*Click!*
The bathroom door opened, and Chang-su stepped out.
“Oh! Brother Seong-jun! You’ve arrived! But you look very tired.”
It seemed Seong-jun’s complexion looked poor even to Chang-su.
“Yeah, well, things happened. Anyway, have you heard about what we do here?”
Since Chang-su had entered the hideout, he would have seen the Dungeon Portal, and Seong-jun assumed he had heard the details from Gwang-taek or Yuseon.
“Yes! Brother Gwang-taek and Sister Yuseon told me everything! To think you can summon a dungeon to suit your tastes — I truly couldn’t have imagined such a thing was possible! You’re amazing, Brother Seong-jun!”
It wasn’t exactly because of Seong-jun himself, but rather the Dungeon Creation Device, yet in Chang-su’s eyes, it all seemed possible only because it was Seong-jun.
“It’s not necessarily because it’s me, but since you’ve heard the story, there’s no need for further explanation. Let’s go in.”
When Seong-jun suggested entering the dungeon, Chang-su asked with a flustered expression, “What? R-right now?”
Seong-jun looked at him curiously.
“Hmm? Why not now? Should we go in later? Why? Is it because you’ve only faced F-rank monsters and you’re nervous about C-rank ones? Do you need time to prepare yourself mentally?”
Chang-su replied, startled by the question.
“Oh! N-no! Let’s go. Ha, hahaha.”
Even if he had undergone a Re-awakening to B-grade, it was only natural for him to be flustered.
He had only ever run F-rank dungeons, and now he was jumping straight into a C-rank dungeon, skipping E-rank and D-rank entirely.
However, Chang-su decided he couldn’t show weakness here.
Seeing his reaction, Seong-jun chuckled and patted Chang-su’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry too much. Once we’re inside, it won’t be that big of a deal.”
In any case, the monsters appearing in small groups would be immobilized by Gwang-taek’s Chain of Light, and all Chang-su had to do was eliminate the monsters that couldn’t move.
Even if an unexpected crisis occurred, no one would die as long as Seong-jun was there.
“I’m not worried! I can do this!”
Seeing Chang-su acting like a disciplined soldier, Gwang-taek and Yuseon also chipped in.
“Haha, just like Seong-jun said, it’s really not that bad, so don’t be nervous.”
“That’s right. Just think of it as going for a light stroll. Most C-rank monsters will be one-shot anyway. Now, let’s go.”
Gwang-taek and Yuseon entered the portal first.
“Let’s go as well.”
As Seong-jun followed them, Chang-su hurriedly trailed behind him.
*Whoosh!*
Through the portal, Seong-jun’s party re-entered the C-rank dungeon, the Resting Place of the Dead.
“I’ll start with the buffs.”
Seong-jun began casting buffs, starting with All-in-One.
*Flash! Whoosh! Hummmm!*
Chang-su, having received the buffs, wore a shocked expression.
“Wow! Damn! What is this? This is a buff? Huh! I’m speechless. Brother! Is this really a buff? This is practically body modification!”
It was a natural reaction for Chang-su, who was receiving Seong-jun’s buffs for the first time.
Even S-rank Hunters couldn’t hide their shock at Seong-jun’s buffs, so how much more would it affect Chang-su, who had only worked as an F-rank mercenary until now?
“Our Chang-su seems very surprised. Well, we were shocked too when we first received Brother Seong-jun’s buffs. Anyway, you’ll be hunting with these buffs from now on, so you’d better get used to it,” Yuseon said.
Chang-su nodded with a serious face.
“Ah, yes. I don’t know if I can ever truly get used to this, but I’ll try my best.”
At his solemn reaction, Gwang-taek and Yuseon smiled, finding him a bit cute.
Seong-jun then cast the newly acquired Energy Amplification.
“This is the Energy Amplification I got this time.”
He switched Energy Amplification to party mode and applied it.
*Vroooom!*
“Oh! My total Aura really did increase by 20%!”
“It’s definitely amazing. If the skill level goes up just a bit more and reaches 50%, it’ll be truly incredible.”
Being able to use more skills than usual was a massive advantage in itself.
Not only would it increase hunting time, but it would also provide a buffer to endure longer if an emergency occurred.
Especially as they moved toward higher ranks, the importance of Mana and Aura would become more prominent.
It was certain that a skill like Energy Amplification would be highly valued by high-rank Hunters.
Of course, even then, it couldn’t compare to Energy Recharge, which directly recovered Mana or Aura.
“Shall we continue the hunt from yesterday? Now that we have a new party member, let’s pick up the pace. And Chang-su, today’s hunt is also a test for you, so work hard.”
Chang-su answered loudly.
“Yes! I will do my best!”
Seeing Chang-su so full of discipline, everyone in the party smiled.
***
The hunt was very smooth.
With Chang-su’s inclusion, the speed increased and the hunt became much easier, but a different problem arose.
“Hah, I don’t even have anything to do,” Gwang-taek grumbled.
It was understandable.
Before Gwang-taek could even use his Chain of Light, Chang-su would step forward and eliminate everything.
“They said he was an assassin specialized in speed, and he really is fast.”
The Assassin under the Moon class was already specialized in speed, and with Seong-jun’s buffs, that speed had become even greater.
Furthermore, with his critical-hit-focused skills and Holy Weapon Enchant applied, he began to sweep through the dungeon like a fish in water.
‘He looked so nervous when we entered the dungeon, but now he’s practically flying on his own. At this rate, he could perform well even in a B-rank dungeon.’
Chang-su was clearing C-rank monsters almost entirely by himself.
Judging by his performance, he would likely be able to hold his own even in a B-rank dungeon.
*Slash! Stab!*
“Kieeeek!”
After instantly eliminating three monsters, Chang-su approached Seong-jun.
“I’ve cleared them all! By the way, Brother Seong-jun, this buff of yours is truly no joke. With this buff, I feel like B-rank monsters wouldn’t be difficult, let alone C-rank. Plus, you refill my Aura whenever it’s about to run out, so I can use my skills to my heart’s content! You’re the best, Brother!”
Chang-su looked genuinely impressed.
“Once we clear this dungeon, we’ll move straight to a B-rank dungeon. That aside, since we’re in this state, there’s no need for us to clump together, is there? Chang-su is clearing everything alone, so Brother Gwang-taek and Yuseon are just twiddling their thumbs. Why don’t we split into two teams and spread out?”
The current situation was the height of inefficiency.
Because Chang-su was doing so well, neither Gwang-taek, the tanker, nor Yuseon, the long-range dealer, could perform their roles properly.
Since they were under the effects of Seong-jun’s buffs and the continuous healing skill Healing Light was active, there was unlikely to be any danger against C-rank monsters.
Seong-jun suggested they split into teams of two to clear the dungeon faster.
Gwang-taek spoke up, looking pleased by the suggestion.
“Oh! That’s not a bad idea. Until the elites appear, there won’t be much danger, and at most, there will be a few monsters wandering around in small groups. So, how should we split the teams?”
If they were to split, the pairings were important.
Seong-jun answered immediately.
“Since this is Chang-su’s first time, I’ll go with him. Brother, you and Yuseon go together.”
Since Seong-jun, Gwang-taek, and Yuseon had fought together for a long time, they were perfectly in sync.
However, Chang-su had just joined the party.
Therefore, Seong-jun decided it was better for him to take the less experienced Chang-su while the well-coordinated Gwang-taek and Yuseon stayed together.
“Sounds good to me. I’m in!”
“I think that’s appropriate. Then we’ll just meet up occasionally to refresh the buffs?”
Seong-jun nodded at Gwang-taek’s question.
“We should. By the way, there’s still time left, but let’s refresh the full set of buffs before we split up.”
Even though there were about 30 minutes left before the buffs expired, Seong-jun intended to reapply everything before they went their separate ways.
*Flash! Flash! Hummmm! Hummm!*
Starting with All-in-One and moving through to Energy Amplification, Seong-jun applied them all in order.
After finishing, he looked at Gwang-taek and Yuseon.
“I’ll see you both in a bit.”
The party split into two teams—Seong-jun and Chang-su on one, and Gwang-taek and Yuseon on the other—and they immediately dispersed to begin hunting.
***
Perhaps because they were hunting in two teams, the clear rate rose sharply.
Originally, they had planned to clear about two-thirds of the dungeon today and finish the rest tomorrow, but because they split up, they had already surpassed a 90% clear rate by shortly after 5:00 PM.
“Wow! It’s this fast with two teams? This really works? At this rate, we could even clear B-rank dungeons quickly.”
At Gwang-taek’s words, Seong-jun smirked.
“That’s only because one-shot kills are possible here. In a B-rank dungeon, that won’t happen, so the speed will decrease significantly. It’ll be hard to split into two teams in B-rank, right? Of course, even so, running B-rank will be more beneficial than C-rank in many ways.”
In a C-rank dungeon, one-shot kills were possible and there was no real danger, which is why they could split.
However, it wouldn’t be as easy in a B-rank dungeon.
Since they couldn’t kill enemies in one blow, the presence of a tanker was essential, and fast hunting would only be possible if Yuseon and Chang-su dealt damage simultaneously.
“Well, that’s true. Anyway, since we’re already at this point, we could finish the dungeon today instead of dragging it out until tomorrow.”
Since the clear rate had already passed 90% and the elites had appeared, they decided it was better to finish today, even if it meant hunting a little late.
“I think so too. Let’s finish it once and for all today and take a good rest tomorrow. Anyway, Chang-su, how was it for you?”
When Yuseon asked for his thoughts, Chang-su replied with an excited expression.
“I was wondering if this was really a C-rank dungeon. To think everything would be one-shot. I heard that a B-grade Hunter needs to land at least a dozen clean hits to take down a single C-rank monster.”
A B-grade Hunter taking down a C-rank monster in one hit?
It was practically impossible.
Under normal circumstances, one would have to land at least a dozen hits, or perhaps five or six if using skills.
It was as if a B-grade Hunter was sweeping through an F-rank dungeon.
Since the monsters were falling in a single hit, he couldn’t help but be amazed.
Gwang-taek smiled at him.
“Haha, our party is a bit special. Or rather, to be precise, Seong-jun is special. Anyway, enjoy it while it lasts. Once we move up to B-rank dungeons, it’ll be hard to experience this kind of one-hit-kill satisfaction.”
Chang-su spoke with a meaningful expression.
“A B-rank dungeon… I wondered if I’d even be able to see an E-rank dungeon in my life, and now I’m about to clear a B-rank one. My life has really blossomed since I met Brother Seong-jun. Oh! And since I told my mother I joined your party, she asked if you could stop by our house. She’s so grateful that she wants to treat you to a meal. Brother Gwang-taek and Sister Yuseon, please come as well.”
In a situation where surgery had seemed impossible, Chang-su’s mother was able to have the operation thanks to Seong-jun, and she had even been discharged in good health.
Of course, because there was a risk of recurrence, she would have to undergo periodic checkups for the next few years, but that was a small price to pay.
To Chang-su and his mother, Seong-jun was a savior.
Seong-jun nodded and replied, “It would be rude to refuse an invitation from your mother. It’s a bit difficult right now, but tell her we will stop by when we have the time.”
With the schedule involving the Holy Emperor and other matters, he expected to be busy for a while, so he said he would visit once they had some leisure time.
“Yes! Just let me know whenever you’re free.”
“Alright, shall we catch the elites and run to the boss?”
The party moved to hunt the elites.
Once they dealt with the remaining stragglers and the elites, they would be at the boss room, and they wanted to use this momentum to clear the dungeon entirely.
***
After taking down the remaining mobs and elites, the party finally entered the boss room.
The boss hunt proceeded rapidly.
*Boom! Bang! Crash!*
While the C-rank dungeon boss, a Ghoul Lord, was immobilized by Gwang-taek’s Chain of Light, Yuseon and Chang-su continuously spammed their skills.
Seong-jun was refilling their rapidly depleting Aura with Energy Recharge.
Occasionally, Seong-jun would also cast attack skills.
“The immobilization is about to wear off! Are you really okay with this? Once the immobilization breaks, the Ghoul Lord’s aggro will definitely shift to Yuseon or Chang-su!”
Even though Gwang-taek tried to secure the Ghoul Lord’s aggro with various skills, he couldn’t hold it against Yuseon and Chang-su, who had been dealing massive damage by spamming skills throughout the fight.
In this state, once the immobilization ended, the Ghoul Lord would almost certainly target Yuseon or Chang-su.
However, Seong-jun’s expression remained calm.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”
Seong-jun had a reliable ace up his sleeve.
“Kee-aaaaaak!”
As soon as the immobilization wore off, the Ghoul Lord let out a sharp roar and shifted its gaze to Yuseon.
No matter how many sharp critical hits Chang-su had landed, Yuseon’s attacks had also been critical hits thanks to Holy Weapon Enchant.
Under the same conditions, she could not be surpassed in damage as she held a hidden class.
Of course, things would have been different if Seong-jun had begun attacking in earnest.
“Yuseon! Watch out! It’s coming for you!”
Before Gwang-taek could even finish shouting, the Ghoul Lord lunged toward Yuseon at incredible speed.
At that moment…
“Absolute Shield.”
A new skill unfolded from Seong-jun’s hand.
*Vroooom!*
An elliptical barrier surrounded Yuseon’s entire body.
“Huh? This is…”
*Boom! Crash! Bang!*
*Crackle! Zip!*
The Ghoul Lord’s fierce attacks rained down, but they were blocked by the Absolute Shield, failing to inflict any damage on Yuseon.
[Active] Absolute Shield [Level 1/10]
Forms an absolute barrier that no attack can penetrate.
– Generates a barrier around oneself or a specific target that blocks all forms of attack for a set duration.
– Attacks can be launched at external enemies from within the barrier.
Casting Time: [Instant]
Duration: [10 minutes]
Divine Power Consumption: [50,000]
Cooldown: [8 hours]
Absolute Shield was an absolute defense skill that blocked all forms of attack for 10 minutes.
It was a perfect defense that blocked not only physical and magical attacks but also intangible attacks like poison.
The only downsides were that its duration was a relatively short 10 minutes and it had a long cooldown of 8 hours.
“It’s an absolute defense skill called Absolute Shield. The duration is 10 minutes, so it will last long enough for Brother Gwang-taek to cast Chain of Light again. So don’t worry and just keep spamming your skills.”
Since they could attack external enemies from within the barrier anyway, Seong-jun told them to keep attacking without worry.