Chapter 8

Even if it was a deity of a heretic, not the god he had wished for.

– Aaahhh! The cursed monk's body burned, and the corpses and wraiths attacking the party turned to dust and scattered.

After killing the hydra's offspring in the west, it had been a long time since he had gained such satisfying experience points.

‘Still, a fallen monk who served an evil god and a demon, never knowing when he would take the life of a believer. How fitting, yet why is he dying, ugh!’ Ivan, who had been smirking inwardly, screamed and glared at the sky.

It was because the holy power had drained away like a receding tide, as if warning him not to be insolent.

Overwhelmed by the sense of powerlessness that washed over his entire body, Ivan slumped to the ground and said to the party,

“Damn, we need to take a break here for a moment.”

The party nodded vigorously, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. After dispatching the cursed monk, the quality of the monsters that appeared had improved.

Skeleton mages using necromancy, skeleton warriors with their own armaments, enhanced zombies and ghouls.

In other words, elite monsters that began to appear after the mid-boss. They were definitely stronger than the ones that had appeared before, with sturdier bodies and much faster, smoother movements. However, Ivan found them easier to deal with. The number of them had decreased, so he didn't have to swing his sword as much.

Without a proper area-of-effect skill, it was more troublesome to overwhelm them with numbers. ‘I need to pay attention to area-of-effect skills from now on.

What can I use right away?’ Ivan had gained considerable strength after falling into this accursed world, but strictly speaking, it wasn't the most efficient way to become strong.

While he had broadened his versatility by picking up skills haphazardly, he hadn't delved deeply into any particular field. In short, he was a jack-of-all-trades.

This was because Ivan's goal had been survival, not becoming stronger.

Prioritizing the ability to survive in any situation over becoming stronger and easily defeating enemies was more important. To be honest, if he had focused on the optimal growth path in the game, he might have been several times stronger than he was now.

But at that time, his choice was the best. Survival was more important than future strength.

So he didn't regret it. He was just a little disappointed.

“Damn, is this a dungeon? It's ridiculously tough. I might die. Ugh!”

Ralph cursed as he poured holy water and potions into his thigh, which had been pierced by a trap he hadn't noticed while dealing with a monster that had attacked from the side.

His thigh was badly torn, and he had lost a lot of blood. Although the wound was healing with the help of a high-quality potion, his complexion didn't look good.

“How are you doing?”

When Ivan asked, Ralph bent and straightened his leg a few times, jumped in place, and nodded.

“It's not as serious as it looks. It's a bit stiff, but that can't be helped. If I had moved another half-step, my leg might have been severed. I should be grateful for this. I'm not at 100%, but I can still fight without much inconvenience.”

Ralph wasn't the only one injured.

Emin had suffered internal injuries from overusing his mana, and Yulia had injured her arm when her shoulder armor was shattered. Sven had a wound on his side.

Ivan was the only one who was unharmed.

Even so, Ivan couldn't avoid minor cuts and was covered in the bone dust of skeletons and the rotten flesh of zombies, making him look quite messy. ‘I might die from a disease before I get hit by a sword.’

Ivan roughly brushed off the filth on his body and began to tidy up the area.

The boss room was just ahead. This was the perfect time to set up camp and rest for the night.

The fatigue the party was feeling was significant. Passing through the forest while on high alert and wandering through the dungeon, not knowing what might jump out, was extremely nerve-wracking.

Continuous battles, hidden traps, and limited visibility.

Even a veteran mercenary would be exhausted in such an environment. The fatigue felt by Emin, who had spent his life researching in a magic tower, was even greater.

Thud, crackle! The pile of firewood gathered from around the area burned, spreading a warm glow. Despite the unpleasant situation of fighting corpses just moments ago, the mood improved significantly.

That was the charm of a campfire.

“Tonight, we'll have to make a lousy stew. Damn, let the monsters come if they want to.”

Everyone nodded in agreement at Sven's shout.

They had already cleared out most of the monsters in the dungeon. The only ones left were in the boss room.

Besides, since they were all undead, what difference would the smell of food make? Even Yulia, who usually didn't take the lead, started cooking by hanging a pot over the fire.

A mercenary-style camping dish, made by pouring water and gathering a little bit of the food each party member had, and throwing it all in.

The dish, made by boiling grains, nuts, and jerky haphazardly, wasn't particularly delicious, but it wasn't the worst either.

Still, the warm broth sliding down his throat made him feel warmer. Slurp ‘I want to eat a bowl of hot rice soup with a side of kimchi.’

Although the atmosphere was Western, this place wasn't really the West.

If you looked hard enough, you could find something similar to rice soup or kimchi. ‘I have to eat it when we get back to the village.’

While he was thinking this, Yulia hesitantly spoke to him.

“Um...”

“What is it?”

“If I'm not mistaken, the technique you used earlier looked like Thunder Step. No, it was definitely Thunder Step. Were you also a member of our martial school?”

Thunder Step, a movement technique that involved emitting electricity from the body and moving quickly, was the basic and core technique of the Thunderwolf martial school.

All of the Thunderwolf's techniques were based on the assumption that Thunder Step would be used.

“I happened to learn it. The Thunderwolf practitioner I met in the past was quite impressive.”

“Did Senior Matthias teach you Thunder Step?”

“I didn't receive direct instruction. I just followed what he did and it worked. I put in some effort afterward.”

Yulia looked very confused at this.

“You mean you just watched and followed? No matter what, Thunder Step isn't something that can be easily learned just by watching...”

“Thunder Step isn't a secret technique, is it? Matthias just laughed it off.”

Martial artists were selective about who they taught, but they weren't stingy with their knowledge. Their goal was to become stronger themselves, not to defeat others. However, in most cases, even if they taught someone, that person couldn't follow.

It took someone with talent and years of training using a unique method to barely follow.

By that point, they were more of a martial artist and a practitioner of the martial school.

Of course, Ivan hadn't trained for years. He had just used skill points.

“Still...”

Yulia, who had been biting her lip in thought, finally spoke with a determined look.

“No matter the reason, if you've learned Thunder Step to this level, you are already a practitioner of the Thunderwolf. Even if you're not a martial artist, the spirit of martial arts is with you.”

Chak! Yulia extended her hand and tapped her left chest in greeting.

“I should formally introduce myself. I am Yulia Miller, a practitioner of the Thunderwolf martial school and successor of the Thunder Wolf Fist. Welcome, new practitioner.”

“Ivan Eshirson. I only learned Thunder Step.”

“I will inform the headquarters about you. If any unreasonable danger befalls you, the Thunderwolf will stand with you.”

In the Thunderwolf martial school, there were no specific teachers or students. Those who started training earlier were seniors, and those who started later were juniors. Martial artists valued individual training and had a highly personal approach, but they also had a strong sense of camaraderie and would move together to face unreasonable dangers.

“Ha, I didn't expect to meet such a strong junior here.”

Yulia, who had been maintaining a serious expression, smiled brightly, making the dungeon feel suddenly more cheerful. She was definitely a beauty who would turn heads wherever she went.

“A beautiful senior is always welcome.”

“Haha, you seemed so serious, but you can make jokes too.”

“Who's talking.”

The party's mood wasn't bad. Although everyone had sustained minor to moderate injuries, they were not fatal, and it seemed they were close to completing the dungeon.

They had already found and collected a few silver utensils, bags of gold coins, and cursed equipment. Despite the hardships, their spirits were high.

“Get some rest. We need to recover our strength to finish the dungeon.”

They blocked the corridors with piles of rocks and each found a spot to lie down. The watch was divided into roughly 90-minute shifts among the four, excluding Emin. Ivan, who was on the first watch, diligently moved around, drawing holy symbols infused with holy power in the corners. While he didn't know powerful barrier spells or protective shields, this could at least block minor evil auras. The demon in the boss room might try something while it was sleeping, or even break out and attack. Even if it didn't help much, it was better than doing nothing. After completing his shift, Ivan woke Yulia and handed over the watch. He lay down in his spot but didn't sleep, worried that something might happen. Fortunately, nothing significant occurred. Still, Ivan's expression wasn't particularly bright. ‘It's strange that everything went so smoothly.

Or...’ After a long moment of serious contemplation, Ivan quickly wiped the expression from his face and got up as if he had just woken up.

For breakfast, they added more ingredients to the stew from the previous day and each re-equipped their gear.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Opening the heavy bronze door, a thick evil aura spread out. A chilling, malevolent energy, the scent of death.

In front of the flickering, incomplete demon gate, a demon wearing a skull mask rose from its seat.

This was the cause of the forest's anomalies. The demon that the fallen monks had tried to summon long ago, the decaying grasp, cackled.

– Finally, the sacrifices have arrived! Whoosh! Bang!

“Ugh!”

A corpse golem emerged from the floor.

A 3-meter-tall monster made by haphazardly stitching together human bodies.

When the creature swung its fist, Ralph, the tank, was pushed back.

“Damn! It's too strong!”