Chapter 98

EP.98 Stained Rock Pile (10)

The rank of the boss monster, Barg, is at least A-class.

Although it is an opponent that can be taken down leisurely with time, Yoon Seul did not hesitate.

The six wolves that were positioned like Barg's guardian monsters.

They had targeted the party members at the back.

It was necessary to quickly finish off the boss and provide support.

"Make a single flower bloom."

The ultimate skill was unleashed without hesitation.

The [Snowfield Plum Blossom] of [Snow Plum].

[Snowfield Plum Blossom] is a skill used in conjunction with the movement rune.

It involves moving two short swords at an extremely fast speed, continuously slashing and cutting the opponent.

The cutting path extends from the opponent's knees to the back of their calves.

It cruelly slashes both the front and back, leaving massive wounds.

Blood blooms like a flower within.

The falling petals were not Yoon Seul's plum blossoms, but the opponent's blood.

The A-class monster Barg could not withstand that one-on-one optimized ultimate skill for even 10 seconds.

Grr...

Boom!

The massive body fell onto the rock mountain, creating a loud noise.

Having instantly finished off the boss monster, Yoon Seul immediately moved.

Due to Kim Chae-eun, the mage, being affected by an abnormal status, it was clear that Joo Jae-hyun was tanking alone.

As a party member and a senior holder.

She needed to help them...

"...Huh?"

Yoon Seul, who had rushed to the entrance of the boss room, was taken aback.

The B-class wolf monsters, which were clearly six in number...

were all lying on the ground as corpses.

The wounds etched all over their bodies.

They were clearly made by a sword.

The wolves were killed by physical attacks, not magic.

This meant that Joo Jae-hyun, a warrior, had single-handedly taken down all six wolves.

"Holder Joo Jae-hyun? How did this happen..."

"Ah, hahaha..."

Joo Jae-hyun, awkwardly scratching his head and laughing.

Seeing this, Yoon Seul realized she had misunderstood something.

'He's not just an ordinary C-class holder.'

When they first entered the dungeon, she was honestly disappointed.

She had found a holder with the 'aura of a dragon' and he seemed to have decent skills.

She even managed to save him in a crisis...

But he described himself as a C-class holder.

A regular student holder attending the academy.

And this fell short of the criteria for the party members Yoon Seul was looking for.

At least B-class.

And even that was the minimum; A-class was required.

No matter how Yoon Seul was going to help with the strategy...

Considering the dungeon <The River Breathed by the Dragon's Breath>, which was considered the most difficult in history, she couldn't bring a mere C-class holder.

'Did he hide his strength?'

But as they progressed through the dungeon together.

His unexpectedly outstanding skills began to stand out.

Joo Jae-hyun perfectly fulfilled his role as a tank in the 3-person party divided into damage, tank, and support.

He firmly blocked the monsters' attacks at the front without any significant injuries and sometimes dealt with the monsters himself when Yoon Seul's attacks didn't reach.

And now, in the battle within the boss room.

He single-handedly took down the six B-class monsters almost entirely with physical attacks, proving himself completely.

Although he introduced himself as a C-class holder...

He was far from an ordinary C-class holder.

"The rest room seems to have appeared where the boss was sitting."

Yoon Seul didn't ask further.

Why Joo Jae-hyun was so strong compared to an ordinary C-class holder, or what the traces of electric shock on the wolf monsters' corpses were...

That was just a matter of curiosity.

What mattered was the result.

The result that Joo Jae-hyun was the 'special holder' she was looking for.

"I'll give up the reward for the rest room. I hope the two of you can share it."

"...What?"

The sudden declaration left the two of them flustered.

Joo Jae-hyun frantically waved his hands and said,

"That's ridiculous. Holder Yoon Seul, you almost hunted alone, how can we..."

"From what I just saw, Holder Joo Jae-hyun could have done it alone, right?"

"Ah, that's... "

Seeing Joo Jae-hyun's awkward expression, Yoon Seul smiled slightly.

"I'm just joking. If we had enough time, the two of us could have cleared the dungeon. Since I feel it directly, I'm giving up the reward, so please don't feel burdened. More importantly, I have something to talk to Holder Joo Jae-hyun alone..."

Yoon Seul turned her head to look at Kim Chae-eun.

"Can you step aside for a moment? You can check the rest room if you want."

"Alone...?"

Kim Chae-eun's face showed surprise.

Her eyes seemed more surprised by the fact that Yoon Seul had something to talk to Joo Jae-hyun alone than by the offer to give up the rest room reward.

"Yes. I'll be quick."

"Ugh..."

Kim Chae-eun bowed her head and let out a sigh.

Then, after looking back and forth between Joo Jae-hyun and Yoon Seul, and taking a few moments to ponder...

She reluctantly nodded.

"Alright, senior..."

In a thoroughly dejected voice.

Kim Chae-eun, entering the rest room alone.

Yoon Seul, who didn't know the reason, merely tilted her head.

* * *

"Dungeon strategy?"

After Kim Chae-eun left for the rest room.

The conversation on the rock mountain slope.

Taken aback by Yoon Seul's sudden words, I asked in return.

I wondered what an S-class holder like Yoon Seul could have to talk about with me alone...

But the proposal she made was surprisingly.

A 'two-person party formation' for a specific dungeon strategy.

Yoon Seul nodded.

"Yes. It's a bit of a special dungeon, so there are conditions to enter, and I've been looking for party members. By chance, Holder Joo Jae-hyun is a holder who meets those conditions. So if it's okay, I'd like to clear the dungeon together..."

It was a bold proposal.

A dungeon strategy with Yoon Seul alone.

It was an experience that no active holder would have had.

Moreover, this information was not mentioned in the original work, which made me even more flustered.

Yoon Seul was an S-class holder who occasionally appeared in the later parts of the <Villain> clan's confrontation, but the detailed content of such a dungeon strategy was not mentioned.

It was completely new information.

I cautiously asked her,

"Can you give me a rough idea of which dungeon? I have some concerns about accepting the proposal..."

I knew Yoon Seul wasn't a villainous character.

Rather, she was a character who fought against the <Villain> clan, the epitome of villainy, in the later parts.

Knowing that she had such an inner character despite her cold exterior, I joined the strategy for the Stained Rock Pile dungeon without hesitation.

But this time was different.

A dungeon strategy with an S-class holder alone.

Anyone would find it suspicious.

If I accepted the proposal rashly and ended up dead, there would be no one to complain to.

Fortunately, Yoon Seul seemed to understand.

She nodded and replied,

"Holder Joo Jae-hyun might have heard of it. It's the dungeon called 'The River Breathed by the Dragon's Breath.'"

"The River Breathed by the Dragon's Breath...?"

As soon as I heard the name of the dungeon,

A familiar feeling, as she said, came to me.

<The River Breathed by the Dragon's Breath>.

It was definitely...

The dungeon that Yoon Seul soloed and through which she became an S-class holder.

Thinking about it, I tilted my head and asked,

"Isn't it a dungeon that has already been cleared?"

A dungeon that Yoon Seul had already soloed.

The first discovery and the first strategy...

Were all done by Yoon Seul alone.

Because the content was so famous, <The River Breathed by the Dragon's Breath> was a well-known dungeon.

It didn't make sense to suggest clearing it together.

Yoon Seul nodded and asked again,

"Have you heard of a nested dungeon?"

Nested dungeon.

A special medium within the dungeon.

Through it, another dungeon is connected within the dungeon.

Although the entry is unique,

The structure itself is the same as a regular dungeon.

I couldn't be unfamiliar with it.

"Yes, I know. There are more of them overseas... Ah!"

I calmly answered and then suddenly paused.

Nested dungeon.

And the already cleared <The River Breathed by the Dragon's Breath>.

Connecting these dots, a vague answer emerged.

"Are you trying to clear the dungeon...?"

"Yes. I'm trying to clear the nested dungeon inside 'The River Breathed by the Dragon's Breath.' It's inside the boss room, and only I know the location. The nested dungeon requires two holders with special conditions to enter... and Holder Joo Jae-hyun meets those conditions."

Yoon Seul's eyes turned to me.

Her entirely white hair and Taoist robe.

The atmosphere of white snowflakes seemed to reach her eyes.

"So I've been looking for an opportunity to talk while clearing the dungeon together."

You don't have to answer right now...

If it's okay, I can talk in more detail later...

Such additional words were heard, but

Honestly, they didn't register well.

After all, she was an S-class holder.

Even though I've gotten stronger recently, the idea of forming a party with an S-class holder to clear a dungeon... was quite worrying.

I didn't think I could perform well enough, and it seemed too dangerous.

So I honestly told her these concerns.

"Thank you for the offer, but... it might be difficult."

"Can I ask why?"

"Um... Although I'm better than ordinary C-class holders, I'm still a holder who has just reached B-class... I feel I'm not good enough to clear a dungeon with Holder Yoon Seul, and it might be too dangerous. I appreciate your good opinion, but I think I'm not ready for such a high-level dungeon in many aspects."

Going on a dungeon strategy with Yoon Seul!

It seemed like a proposal I could easily accept, but considering the level of <The River Breathed by the Dragon's Breath>, I couldn't say such a thing.

A-class monsters swarm from the beginning of the dungeon, and the boss room has an S-class monster... one that is rumored to surpass regular S-class in strength.

The nested dungeon within such a dungeon.

Its difficulty would not be easy.

I wanted to accept the proposal, but at my current level, it was almost impossible.

Despite my polite refusal...

Yoon Seul's expression didn't change much.

She answered me with an extremely calm attitude.

"You don't have to worry about that. Joo Jae-hyun is already a capable holder, and I can teach the parts where he is lacking."

"Really? What do you mean by that..."

Putting aside the claim that he is already capable...

Teach the parts where he is lacking?

What kind of absurd statement is this?

But before I could fully understand her words,

Yoon Seul smiled slightly and extended her hand to me.

"Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Yoon Seul, who will be a professional instructor at the academy starting next semester. If it's okay... I hope Holder Joo Jae-hyun will attend my class."

Ding!

It felt like I had been hit on the head with a large bell.

What is this, what is this?

Yoon Seul as an academy instructor?

No, what exactly is going on here?