Episode 70: S-Class Dungeon Dark City (5)
To defeat a class A monster, or to be defeated by it, was the definitive judgment of strength. They are the ones that paralyze most people in ‘absolute fear,’ but for Jeong Pan-ho, it wasn’t like that.
Caang!
Powerful sparks flew from the meeting of the Death Knight’s dark sword and Jeong Pan-ho’s aura-surrounded blade. Death Knight could match the aura-sword skills of any reinforced warrior – in the case of a weaker opponent, the monster’s skills were so immense that they would be cut off immediately. However, against Pan-ho, the Knight was pushed back, and Pan-ho rushed into dark territory.
[… … Die, human!]
[… … attack!]
The red eyes of dozens of Death Knights flashed out of the gloom. Aura-flames burned from their swords as they struck Jeong Pan-ho from all sides.
Caen!
Kacan!
It was a melee. One small mistake could be lethal, but Jeong Pan-ho did not allow even a single attack. Guardian Bobeop constantly moved in search of the bow path, and Jeong Pan-ho’s sword prevented the opponent’s attack every time with a counterattack.
“Ah, ah!”
Kwaduk!
Death Knight trembled as his jugular spurted arcs of dark blood. Jeong Pan-ho cut deeper into his neck and destroyed the ‘mana’s core’ inside. Death Knight disappeared in an instant – far from being an object of fear for wizards, the monster seemed to be quite futile, but there was no time to admire the defeat.
Dozens of Death Knights rushed forward, and countless Durahan followed. There were too many enemies for Jeong Pan-ho to deal with alone.
“Damn! I have to help my father quickly.”
Right after the first battle took place, Pan-ho threw himself at the group of Death Knights for Group three’s safety. Thanks to this, Jeong Pan-soo and the third group’s disciples could easily deal with the monsters. While they steadily handled the enemies and advanced, the battle between Jeong Pan-ho and the Death Knights took place in the forefront.
Caen! Kakakakakakan!
It was a great clash. Jeong Pan-ho showed fierce momentum. Rather than retreating from the Death Knights, he aimed for an opportunity to attack as Hosi Tam Tam – guardian gate tiger, like a beast. If Kang Deok-cheol was the guardian sword, an assassin specialized in defense, Jeong Pan-ho used guardian swordsmanship aggressively. Kang Deok-cheol and Jeong Pan-ho did not intend to show their strength in the subjugation. They thought there would be no problem, but unexpected issues arose, which drew them out. The time to observe had passed; the time had come to reveal their strength.
Kwaduk!
Another death knight was destroyed. Jeong Pan-ho’s power was phenomenal. Despite being surrounded by dozens of Death Knights, he steadily reduced opponents’ number rather than being pushed out. He held the title of a guardian for a reason. If it weren’t for him, the situation would have been very difficult from the start.
“…So this is the power of the guardian gate.”
Said Alex, his mouth open wide. He had heard that they were great but had not expected their elder’s power to be so profound. Not even Moon Ju would have been so adept.
Above all, though…
“Who the hell is that wizard?”
Just in front of Alex, like Jeong Pan-ho, Kang Min-hyuk was shining.
* * *
When Hell’s demons appeared in the shadow of the city, Min-hyuk knew he had to do his best to survive.
‘If you are pushed even once, you will die. The dark city was a very favorable environment for the dead who play endlessly. Humans were always exhausted, so even if they survived the first battle, they would be limited by fatigue and injuries in the next.
A sure victory was the only way to survive here.
Hwaak.
Mana was scattered. At the same time, Min-hyuk understood the situation around him. He could no longer just focus on attacking – he had to play a role as a member of the party.
Like Durahan, Death Knights attacked the guardian gate disciples. Suhomun’s disciples are also capable of dealing with A-class monsters, but there were too many opponents. Hands became dizzy while blocking attacks from all directions. The moment a death knight’s attack was missed, the guardian gate disciple’s face was pale and tired.
“Lightning Spear!”
Kang Min-hyuk’s magic exploded on Death Knight, who trembled with the powerful shock. Although it was impossible to deal with the Death Knight with fourth Circle magic, it was enough to buy a little time, and in that gap:
Pagak!
The guardian gate disciple’s sword smashed the death knight’s neck as it was. Subsequently, he saw Suhomun’s disciple trying to finish the Death Knight, but Kang Min-hyuk’s gaze was already capturing a different situation.
“Rune flare.”
Bang!
Rrrumble.
Suhomun, who faced the same crisis, turned to Kang Min-hyuk’s help. His head turned tight. Kang Min-hyuk quickly grasped the situation on the battlefield while maintaining the balance through an auxiliary position. Not only that but when solid firepower was required, Kang Min-hyuk lived up to expectations.
“Explosion.”
Ungraded magic. A considerable amount of mana shot out, causing a powerful explosion.
Kwaang!
Rumble.
There was a huge explosion. Even Death Knight, this time, was not immune and swayed at the power of the ‘explosion.’ However, there were still many enemies to deal with. In the constant rush, his split-mind devoted all its power to casting single magic.
“Earthquake.”
Kugugugung.
Another ungraded spell. The ground shook. It felt like the seventh circle earthquake, but the effect was a little different. The ground was split. The hordes of monsters rushing forth fell into the dark pit, and they never returned to the ground. Strong tremors prevented the monsters from showing their numerical advantage. It was a disaster for them. The abyss, which swallowed up dozens of monsters, returned to its original form by closing its agar when the mana effect fell.
The sound of monsters being crushed under the ground echoed round the cold walls. No matter how much resurrection power was available, monsters trapped underground could never travel beyond there again.
Min-hyuk’s head turned tight, and the circle rotated constantly. He felt confident that he would survive. Suddenly, he remembered old memories.
In his days as the successor, Kang Min-hyuk was able to command the disciples of Suhomun. If it was the successor’s role to deal with enemies and give orders like Lee Jun-ho in the front line, it was now possible for him to tune the battlefield in the rear. The flow of the battlefield changed according to the magic Kang Min-hyuk used. The Guardian Gate disciples exhaled a sigh of relief. Where monsters were concentrated, the situation was resolved with non-class magic. He proved himself to be a maestro on the battlefield.
While Pan-ho Jeong was making headway at the forefront, Kang Min-hyuk adjusted the battlefield and pushed the enemies back. The Suhomun disciples knew that it was he who kept the balance.
* * *
At first, the troops thought it was a coincidence.
Bang!
Rumble.
Immediately before being hit by the Death Knight, flames raged, protecting them from the assault. They couldn’t afford to express gratitude for the burning scene. The situation rapidly became urgent. In a similar crisis, when magic was used again, it became clear.
“Kang Min-hyuk is protecting us.”
There were still many questions. Why Kang Min-hyuk refused to be the successor, and how he reached the fourth circle in such a short time? But these were questions for another time. Kang Min-hyuk’s appearance gave the Suhomun disciples momentum, and they were able to become more aggressive. As such, Kang Min-hyuk’s support was great. The magic exploded promptly, and in particular; the non-class magic displayed great power that aroused doubts about the existence of such powerful magic elsewhere in the world.
He was an outstanding reinforced warrior and an outstanding wizard. The combination of the two civilizations was explosive. The reinforced warriors weren’t pushed against the A-class monsters, and the wizard was just as competent. Eventually, the situation was reversed, and the disciples of Suhomun took the lead. Eventually, most of the monsters in the rear were dealt with, and he tried to help Jeong Pan-ho, who was in the front line.
Kwaduk!
Jeong Pan-ho blew the head off a Death Knight. He had already dealt with more than 10 Death Knights on his own.
* * *
The battle was concluded. Alex thought he wouldn’t survive, but the guardian gate’s power didn’t collapse even in a crisis. Immediately after the battle, the disciples of Suhomun approached Kang Min-hyuk.
“…Thank you very much.”
“Thanks to Master Kang Min-hyuk, we’re safe.”
“How did you learn magic so quickly?”
Things had changed.
Kang Min-hyuk proved his abilities in the subjugation. Dissatisfaction toward Kang Min-hyuk arose as he laid down his place as Suhomun’s successor, but no one could hold on to his dissatisfaction when he saved their lives.
Kang Min-hyuk defeated A-class monsters with magic. Knowing how great an achievement that was, the eyes of the Suhomun disciples softened a little. Suhomun’s successor was not giving up but was looking for his way. As the disciples of Suhomun turned around, Jeong Pan-soo was annoyed. He had always hated Kang Min-hyuk.
Jeong Pan-soo always wanted to stand out, but he was nothing special. Kang Min-hyuk, on the other hand, was perfect. Although Jeong Pan-ho did not express it directly, he seemed to want Kang Min-hyuk to be his son. His hatred accumulated over the years, so when Kang Min-hyuk came down as successor, Jeong Pan-soo was very happy.
Kang Min-hyuk in his youth might have been great, but Pan-soo thought that he, who was a late-bloomer-type, eventually won…but now, Kang Min-hyuk was shining brightly again. At the sight of him receiving attention, his envy overflowed. He kept his mouth shut. Like others, he could have praised Kang Min-hyuk, but Jeong Pan-soo’s pride would not allow it.
Then, someone completely unexpected came out.
“Your help in this battle was great.”
It was Jeong Pan-ho. He, who usually cut down the magic bitterly, did not show a negative attitude in front of confirmed facts.
Then, he turned his gaze to Kim Sung-ho’s party.
“And you…”
“Yes?”
“Using a shield to block monsters, you protected Kang Min-hyuk.”
“Yes…we created a safe environment so that Kang Min-hyuk could focus on magic. We thought it would be helpful in battle.”
It flipped the known structure on its head, placing warrior beneath wizard. However, since it showed good results, Kim Seong-ho tried to be as confident as possible even in front of Jeong Pan-ho, who stated,
“It was a good judgment. You will remain faithful to your duty in the future and protect your group three members as a top priority if Kang Min-hyuk is in danger. In this battle, Kang Min-hyuk showed the idea’s worth. If we create the best environment for the wizard to be active, we will survive.”
The change in Jeong Pan-ho’s perspective was surprising. For Jeong Pan-ho, who evaluates people on their strength alone, he judged Kang Min-hyuk as worthy. So, the wizard was accepted as a vital force. Rather than sticking to existing thoughts, they made the judgment that was most likely to result in survival.
Jeong Pan-soo would not be able to admit the reality because his bowl was small. Min-hyuk didn’t appease Jeong Pan-soo. He saw him as a pampered child,
“We are in a very dangerous situation now. But if we wake up and solve this challenge, we will surely be able to survive. Trust me. I’ll lead you to safety. Even if it’s hard, be patient. We will do our best to overcome this obstacle and rejoin the main group.”
Jeong Pan-ho was the leader. Kang Min-hyuk didn’t know it when he was under Kang Deok-cheol, but Jeong Pan-ho showed his worth in a crisis. At that time, there was a hopeful atmosphere. Soon after, though, when they met the new group of Death Knights, the third team fell into despair.
“…It can’t be.”
His form was different from the general Death Knight. A dark aura and sharp energy swayed around him. It was an ethereal monster that directly preceded the epic monster.
All those who challenged the S-class dungeon were skilled. Nevertheless, they all died due to the separation of space and the unexpected, transcendental monsters. The difficulty turned out to be higher than S-class.
“We might die here, after all.”
Neither Jeong Pan-ho nor Kang Min-hyuk could find hope.
