NOVEL WEB Chapter 46
The level of the monsters that appeared was gradually rising, but there hadn’t been anything that made the wolf struggle until now.
‘I wanted to see it just once.’
As Baekrok licked his lips with disappointment, a roar echoed from the end of the cave: “Guuoooh!”
‘An orc.’
A rather strong monster known for its versatility, appearing without regard to the dungeon’s shape. Baekrok figured that this time, he would finally catch a glimpse of the wolf’s abilities.
“Do we just stay back?”
As the wolf nodded, the fairy and the fairy dragon took their positions above Baekrok’s head. In the meantime, the orc lifted a massive club to strike the wolf.
“Guuoooh!”
Anticipating a dodge, the orc charged in. This time, the fairy shut its eyes tight, convinced evasions would be impossible.
“Wolf!”
“Oh, how interesting.”
Totally opposite reactions. When the fairy opened its eyes again, it was greeted by the silly expression of the orc.
“Uh, huh?”
“Look over there.”
“Huh? Uh? Oooh~!”
Where Baekrok pointed, the club that had raised was now smashed into pieces, scattered across the ground.
“Amazing! Amazing!”
As the fairy clapped in amazement, for some reason, the fairy dragon puffed itself up in pride.
“Hmm.”
The wolf’s strength exceeded what Baekrok had imagined. The orc, unable to contain his frustration, charged in with a roar, but the wolf elegantly sidestepped every attack.
‘Impressive.’
Dodging at such close range was no easy task. Every movement of the wolf exuded a strong will of ‘I must not get hit.’
‘Though, it is a tad excessive.’
Though exaggeration was evident in dodging, the incredible focus compensated for any shortcomings. Most of all, its ability to read its opponent’s next move was exceptional.
‘This is no match.’
The wolf raked its claws across the orc’s back. Although the orc turned its body to catch the wolf, the wolf was already gone.
‘Fast.’
There’s a big difference between spinning around and making a full circle. Yet the orc couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the wolf’s tail.
“Hmm….”
To Baekrok, it seemed the wolf was testing how far it could go on its own. As predicted, the wolf soon sank its teeth into the orc’s nape.
“Grrr―”
With a snap, the orc’s life was taken, and the wolf placed its foot on the orc’s body.
‘It was indeed Gluttony. A skill not even many familiars possess.’
No, it’s probably a skill unique to monsters. Baekrok nodded somberly.
“Good job.”
“Not much.”
In stark contrast to the earlier bloodthirsty scene, the wolf seemed unimpressed, glancing at the fairy as if to ask, ‘Shouldn’t you hide?’
“Fairies aren’t children. They are simply pure.”
“…….”
The wolf nodded along as if it understood. Baekrok urged them on, “It seems we aren’t far from the end of this cave. Let’s hurry.”
***
“So, you idiot, you couldn’t catch it in the end?”
“…More than that, I’m just glad I woke up.”
“Don’t dodge the question? You weren’t even close to dying, right? Just spill it.”
‘I really was that close to dying.’
The team leader contemplated briefly whether to mention that Alpha had let him go. That’d probably make him furious. So he decided to keep that tidbit and narrated a suitably altered story instead.
“That monster was taken down by Team Leader 2.”
“…….”
Probably feeling their pride dented, the guy crunched the bedsheet with his hands. A moment later, he grumbled, “Where was that crazy muscle-bound thug during all this?”
‘If he heard I was just napping, I’d be in for it.’
“Ha. So when can you be discharged?”
“Am I a doctor? Probably longer than you think.”
Just waking up was already quite the feat. Healing required a bit more stability.
“Damn this side pain…”
“They said the surgery had to be urgent. You’d have definitely died if not for being a Hunter.”
The mention of dying led to an awkward silence. Following a brief pause, the team leader finally hung his head.
“…I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“For you being in this state due to my lack of keeping you safe.”
“True words. Gu Jin-ha, you idiot. If you can’t do that one thing properly, just get out and die somewhere, will ya?”
“……”
“…What should I say to make you feel better?”
At the questioning gaze, the team leader smiled bitterly.
“That’s a bit harsh.”
“I can throw harsher words if you’d like.”
Hong Yu-ri chuckled. The team leader splashed some water on his face.
“…Thanks.”
“Forget it. And you?”
“Compared to you, it’s nothing serious.”
His Achilles heel was relatively easier to recover from. With potions and healing, he was already at a level permitting him to walk around by the same day.
‘My head still throbs a bit though.’
There’s no avoiding mental exhaustion. That’s much like the fate of hunters unless he picked up skills like Magic Regeneration.
“Remember this last break. Once you’re back, it’ll be chaotic.”
“A sick leave being a last break? Bullshit. Just because that damn wolf…” Oh, right, you should have caught it, you idiot!”
“Sorry about that. …Has the time already flown by? Rest well. I’ll be off.”
“Hah. Acting all busy.”
But it was genuine busyness. As the team leader opened the hospital door, he recalled the words he didn’t say to Hong Yu-ri.
‘Alpha mentioned something. The fairy-type monster helped Alpha.’
Should I tell her now? Glancing back, Hong Yu-ri’s expression didn’t look too good. Even if she pretended to be fine, the fatigue on her face was undeniable. Regardless, she was bound to learn about it soon; he decided to let her have a brief moment of peace.
‘…That tail hair.’
Their battle. They said it was battle time? He gripped the car keys tightly in his pocket.
***
[Experience has reached maximum. Lv.17 -> Lv.18]
[Hypnosis (F) Lv.6 skill mastery has reached maximum. Hypnosis (F) Lv.6 -> Hypnosis (F) Lv.7]
As he reached level 18, his hypnosis also hit level 7.
‘Seems like the end is not far now.’
He sensed quite a few presences nearby.
‘Though this isn’t a maze.’
The Cobalt Dungeon was a hybrid of maze and cave type, having a complicated route with a separate boss chamber, but perhaps this dungeon resembled a single cave type.
‘Meaning the boss could be alongside other monsters.’
Both types have their pros and cons.
In a maze, once the boss chamber closes, you can’t leave until you defeat the boss. In a cave, you risk encountering other monsters with the boss.
‘For now, I prefer the cave.’
At least I could escape in the worst-case scenario.
“Nervous?”
Baekrok asked as the other shook his head.
“Nah. Not really.”
“Is that so? This dungeon is more advanced than I imagined.”
“So?”
“I’m glad you’re here. Others might’ve been in a bit of danger if they came instead.”
Were there even that many dangerous monsters pending? But Baekrok might have sensed something.
‘Was there C rank Magic Detection?’
He probably detected what sort of monsters were about to show up. The place they arrived at soon opened into a moderately large plaza.
‘…Hmph.’
The first thing visible was what appeared to be the boss.
[Cave Predator]
[Length 3.11m] [Height 1.67m] [Weight 230kg]
[Strength 249] [Agility 420] [Stamina 243] [Magic 216]
[Skills]
[Acceleration (D)] [Weak Regeneration (F)]
‘Ah. This is that monster I read about in the novel.’
It had a large bat-like exterior but looked quite grotesque. Its brain was exposed, and it had a frill similar to a horned dinosaur to cover it in emergencies.
‘A flying boss monster, huh?’
Agility of 420. That was about the only standout stat.
‘The issue is there are other monsters as well.’
The bats exposed to magic, alongside other bats as well.
‘The presence of bats must be due to the boss.’
Being a bat leader meant he could enjoy some protection, it seemed.
A moment later, he glanced back to see Baekrok watching closely with the fairy and fairy dragon. He could finish this easily if they joined in, but it seemed they had no plans to do so.
‘At least I don’t have to worry about the back.’
I will protect the fairy and fairy dragon. Although his eyes had become degenerated in the cave, the bats sensed him with their keen hearing as they screeched, “Kyaaa―!”
“Kiiiek!”
‘Let’s take down the little ones first.’
While they couldn’t do anything, they were a nuisance.
As the bats took to the air, a gust swept through. At that moment, the Cave Predator opened its mouth wide.
‘Ultrasound?’
Its throat trembled, but sound didn’t reach him. It was outside his audible range.
‘……!’
Suddenly, the bats altered their direction. The ones caught in the gust were horribly shredded, but they were few in number.
‘It’s giving orders?’
Following its commands, this time the fairy dragon and fairy were targeted, but that was wishful thinking.
‘Idiot.’
Though the fairy was startled, the bats didn’t come close, only falling dead.
‘No need to worry.’
Unsurprisingly, that was all Baekrok’s doing. Confirming his safety from the back, he pounced at the Cave Predator.
“Kiiiek?”
Bats that had a hearing dependency due to their degenerated eyesight were drowning in the fierce rush of wind.
‘What a favorable turn.’
He could pinpoint the bat’s approximate location, but not knowing its precise situation up close was fatal. The creature soon took to the air, but couldn’t emerge from the gust, and its membrane was punctured.
‘This is easier than I thought.’
The creature hung upside down from the ceiling of the cave, showing no sign of coming down while it recovered using Weak Regeneration.
‘Then I’ll clear out the lower creatures first.’
One by one, he hunted the bats. The entrance was being blocked by Baekrok, so they couldn’t escape, and just when there were only a few left, a presence dove into the gust.
‘Here it comes.’
As the Cave Predator charge in, he quickly turned his head. Seemingly startled, it flared its jaw wide, but the agility over 400 was entirely genuine, allowing it to land narrowly.
‘Just one step further and it would’ve done me in.’
Nonetheless, the gust had already torn at its membrane. With Weak Regeneration, it wouldn’t be able to fly for a while.
‘It’s practically over.’
Its finger-like digits on the wings slammed onto the ground. Even if it boasted agility, in terms of body structure, it wouldn’t be holding up well. Just then, it suddenly closed distance.
‘Oh right. It had Acceleration.’
The creature actively used its skill. It was a challenge to follow with his eyes, but he had no intention to evade.
“Kkiiieeek!”
The creature dug its teeth into his shoulder. It seemed to aim for his nape but got confused amid the gust. Simultaneously, he opened his jaw to bite back. While its teeth didn’t pierce deeply, he successfully severed one of its wings.
[Hardening (D) Lv.5 skill mastery has reached maximum. Hardening (D) Lv.5 -> Hardening (D) Lv.6]
‘Too weak.’
It was annoying, but nowhere near as strong as Baekrok had feared. Spitting out the disconnected wing, he gauged the gap between himself and the beast.
‘Looks like it’s already fleeing.’
Now it was a wild beast, no longer a flying creature. It was merely resistance.
‘That’s boring.’
Not long after, he had clenched its throat. The panic-stricken eyes shivering as they gazed upward.
Then— a stalactite fell with a crash!
“Kieeeek!”
He nearly failed to dodge it because it was out of sight. If he had let his guard down for just a moment, he would have been skewered by the stalactite.
‘Who was that?’
A large bat swooped down from the ceiling, wrapping around the Cave Predator whose wing had been ripped apart.
[Flock Leader (Cave Predator)]
[Length 4.26m] [Height 2.04m] [Weight 374kg]
[Strength 305] [Agility 469] [Stamina 317] [Magic 269]
[Skills]
[Stealth (D)] [Weak Regeneration (E)]
‘So it wasn’t the boss from the start?’
In every aspect, the Flock Leader was superior to the Cave Predator. What he had fought was merely a fake—this beast was the real deal. Until now, he had probably faced the female.
‘Was this exactly what Baekrok had worried about.’
Two of them. They’d been sizing him up until now. Hiding in stealth, observing—he couldn’t stop himself from chuckling at the irony.
‘I got played.’
It seemed like they couldn’t see through the stealth with the same grade detection. He barely escaped being skewered by stalactites, and the leader wrapped its wings around the female, both letting out a high-pitched screech.
‘Looks like they plan to fight together.’
At least it was a relief that the female couldn’t fly. The leader might be fine, but he doubted the F rank Weak Regeneration was capable of restoring its wings. The fairy’s nervous voice broke through the moment.
“W-Wolf, are you okay?”
“Not sure. Just have to watch.”
To Baekrok’s dull response, the fairy nearly burst into tears.
“Let’s help the wolf! Okay? Wolf, let us help you!”
Baekrok locked eyes with the fairy, who seemed to be whining. ‘Do you need help?’ he seemed to ask with his gaze, and he shook his head dismissively.
“He says he doesn’t need it.”
“Wolf!!!”
Ignoring the whining fairy, he moved in.
Though two were a surprise, it wasn’t nearly as dire a situation as one might assume.
‘You made a mistake.’
She should have charged in from the start. It likely thought it was assessing him, but he hadn’t been using all his strength.
“Grrrr―!”
In the gust, ash flickered about. As the black embers swirled, much like the instincts of animals, the creatures flinched.
“Did he also have skills like those?”
Baekrok exclaimed in surprise as the fairy stopped crying, and the fairy dragon puffed itself up proudly.
“Krrr!”
Charging at them, the disoriented leader was startled into flight while the female caught its ankle.
‘Huh?’
Quite unlike the expected chaos, the male flapped its wings heavily, rising high with the female clinging to its ankle.
“Kiiigiiiik!”
“Kieeek!”
This cave was certainly over 10m high, and it’d be difficult to grab if they hung onto the ceiling.
‘So.’
That was also why he dealt with the smaller bats first. But just because it was difficult didn’t mean it couldn’t be done. In other words, the bats couldn’t just stick around doing nothing.
“Krrr!”
Diving upward with a spring, he quickly reached the height of the bats, startling them into gasps. Grabbing onto the hanging female’s ankle, he twisted his head.
“K-Kikiiig?! “
While all this happened, the gust and ashes ravaged and burned both the male and female. The male struggled against the grip.
‘He’s thinking of abandoning it.’
The female’s fingers fell from where they were grasping. Looking up in shock, the female cried out at being abandoned by the male.
“Kiyaaak!”
Ultimately, the female landed on the ground. Her ankle had already been severed, and the remaining wing was utterly unusable.
‘She’ll have a hard time moving now.’
In a final struggle, the female charged forward, this time likely using all her magic as well, moving at a speed where he could barely follow with his eyes.
‘You should have done that sooner.’
With her mouth open wide, ready to bite, she aimed for a vulnerable point. This time, her teeth pierced through his hardening, twisting painfully, but he impaled her with a tentacle.
‘Learned from the Awakening Evil.’
Unlike her tentacle, his wasn’t as tough or robust. Yet, what was lacking was sufficiently compensated by the hardening and magic.
“Kiiieee…”
Contact consumption of the evil type—this limitation seemed to apply to his tentacle made of fur as well. Having engulfed the female, he gazed up at the male clinging to the ceiling.
“K-Kikiiig…!”
The male’s face showed fear as it trembled, its torn membrane mending, but it appeared unwilling to charge in.
In truth, the moment it chose not to rescue the female, its chances of winning had evaporated.
‘Not as good as Aranea, but.’
It was an easier fight than he’d thought.
Diving upward once more, the male flapped its wings, attempting to throw him off. After several attempts, he managed to wrap a tentacle around its wing that hung upside down.
“Kieeeek!?”
Surprisingly, it held on tightly. He didn’t even weigh 200kg, so thinking back to having lifted the female, it was no surprise it could manage.
‘…I didn’t expect this.’
While he could use consumption right now, doing so would likely sever its wing and cause it to fall.
“Kieeeek!”
Its teeth ground against his tentacle. While the hardened tentacle held firm, snapping it was just a matter of time.
‘Neither the gust nor the ashes can reach.’
He was still hanging from a tentacle several meters down. It was evident that even if he tried embers, the tentacle would snap before the flames even touched it.
‘In that case.’
Utilizing the change, he infused elasticity into the tentacle.
Feeling the magic depleting, he used the tentacle below to pull himself up. The tentacle tightened as it pulled, and just before it broke under its teeth, he released the tentacle gripping the ground.
“――!”
With astonishing elasticity, he bounced upwards just as the creature flapped its wings. Using the springboard effect, he rushed toward the airborne monster.
‘Ugh…!’
The male screeched. As his sudden thrust altered the direction of force, he heard a crack from its body, but at this point, it should feel no pain and recover on its own through regeneration. Due to the momentum of the gust, he lunged directly at it, and upon their bodies colliding, he activated hardening. The beast, hard as steel at nearly 150kg, was slammed against the wall in an instant.
“……!”
The beast, after a second impact, slid down along the wall.
“Krrr―”
Already, he was waiting beneath it.
“Kik, Kieeeek!”
The male writhed painfully, screaming in terror as it struggled to escape, attempting to beat its wings. However, due to the shock, its bones had twisted and broken. There was no way it could take off now.
“――!”
The scream barely audible to him was the creature’s last breath.
[You have consumed the Cave Predator. Experience and fullness have increased.]
[Experience has reached maximum. Lv.18 -> Lv.19]
A message marking his level up—the only remaining monsters in this dungeon, aside from him, were gone.