Episode 134

The Lamias, with their serpentine lower bodies, possessed a disorienting shriek that could throw raiders into chaos. As the Desert Tribe Greatwarriors swarmed forward, eliminating the Lamias first was the soundest strategy. Seonghwi and Geonwoo moved to intercept the Greatwarriors, allowing the rest of the party to focus their attacks.

"Bwahaha! Die, raider scum!" a Greatwarrior roared.

"Funny you should say that," Seonghwi retorted, sidestepping a blow. "I'm actually a Dungeon Master. Hah!"

Empowered by Injong's buffs, Seonghwi was a whirlwind of destruction. He wielded his sword with the casual grace of a seasoned swordsman, a sight that was almost baffling. Taehyun, meanwhile, methodically put arrows between the eyes of the Lamias, his own eyes occasionally flicking to the status of the barrier.

[A-rank Raider Geonwoo Lee's Mana Interruption Barrier has blocked the Advanced Mana Turret's mana blast.]

[Geonwoo Lee's Mana Interruption Barrier damage: 54%]

''The barrier will break before we can finish off the soldiers,'' Taehyun calculated.

The turret's fire was focused solely on the barrier, and its integrity was rapidly deteriorating. They were facing over three hundred A-rank soldiers. Even with a powerful single-use skill, wiping them out quickly was impossible.

"Narae, can you disable the Advanced Mana Turret?" Taehyun called out.

"Uhm, I probably can," she replied hesitantly. "But why?"

"You're coming with me."

"What? No! W-Why me?!"

She tried to retreat, but it was too late. Taehyun snatched her by the waist and leaped into the air.

His hand caught a crevice in the high ceiling. Below, several Lamias had spotted them and began hurling daggers.

"Gah! Let go of me! Let go! I'll kill you!" Narae shrieked.

"Hold on tight," Taehyun grunted. "You might fall."

"Agh! I don't care!"

Dozens of daggers sliced through the air. Holding the struggling Narae, Taehyun began a death-defying acrobatic display, swinging from one crevice to the next, a blur of motion dodging the deadly projectiles.

"Was that guy a circus performer in his past life?" one of the raiders wondered aloud.

"Don't be ridiculous. He can do that because he's a Hunter."

"Tsk. Still, I'm jealous," Geonwoo muttered. "Getting to hold the notoriously prickly Narae like that. The rookie hit the jackpot!"

Even in the heat of battle, his teammates stared, mesmerized by the Hunter's aerial feats. Geonwoo's tactless comment, however, earned him a sharp glare from Songyi, and the party quickly refocused on the fight.

---

A volley of daggers embedded themselves in the ceiling around them. Taehyun held Narae with one arm, the other clinging desperately to a narrow ledge. His right arm began to tremble with strain; if he let go, they would plummet into the horde below. Gritting his teeth, he swung his body back and forth, building momentum. With a final heave, he launched them across a gap, his fingers catching another crevice.

''My strength is too low. This is my limit. I have to make it to the turret now!''

The Advanced Mana Turret loomed before them, its barrel nearly touching the ceiling. It was still a fair distance, but with a Hunter's agility, it was possible. Narae looked up at Taehyun, his eyes gleaming with fierce determination, and she trembled.

"N-No way. You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

"You should close your eyes," he advised.

"Eheheheng! Let me go, you damn bastard! I don't want to do this anymoooore!"

Her scream echoed as he launched them forward again. It felt as if they were running on air, closing the distance to the turret. In the split second before gravity took hold, Taehyun's hand shot out and clamped onto the turret's central pillar.

"Hah... Hah..." he gasped.

"...Agh," Narae gurgled, completely stunned.

"Snap out of it. Daggers are coming."

"Eek?!"

Narae, who had been practically foaming at the mouth, jolted back to her senses. Taehyun deflected the incoming daggers, buying them precious seconds.

"We don't have time for this! Disable the mana turret, now!"

"O-Okay, I get it!"

Narae finally began her skill activation. It would be close, but it looked like she could finish just as the barrier shattered. Taehyun shielded her, his Danger Sense and Hunter's Eye working in tandem to anticipate and parry every dagger.

[A-rank Raider Narae Min's Installation Disarm skill is in progress.]

[Advanced Mana Turret disarm progress: 62%]

The turret's mana output was slowly subsiding. If they could just hold on, they could disable it and mop up the remaining soldiers. But then, a Lamia launched itself into the air with impossible force, landing silently on the pillar above them. It was completely unexpected. Taehyun's eyes widened in shock.

''How can a Lamia jump like that? No, more importantly, Danger Sense didn't activate!''

The fact that his skill hadn't warned him was far more critical than the Lamia's unnatural agility. If it wasn't targeting him, the raid leader, then its target had to be Narae. He spun around, but the Lamia's dagger was already plunging toward her heart. It was a hair's breadth away. He was only a few steps from her, but he couldn't possibly block the blow in time.

''If I hesitate, the Bounty Hunter dies!''

They still hadn't reached the final floor. Narae's death would jeopardize the entire raid.

[Wild Instinct has been activated.]

[For a certain period, all physical stats will double.]

[Wild Instinct uses remaining: 1/1]

Taehyun burned the single-use skill he had been saving, throwing himself in front of Narae. In that instant, the Lamia's eyes glowed red, and its blade became wreathed in crimson energy.

The force of the blow shattered his scimitar and tore his right arm from his body. This was no ordinary Lamia. A wave of agony, more intense than anything he had ever felt, washed over him, and a scream was ripped from his throat. His vision swam.

''Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!''

As blood gushed from the stump of his shoulder, the Lamia lunged past him, targeting Narae again.

An arrow, fired from across the room, buried itself in the creature's arm.

"Kiyak!" the Lamia shrieked.

Incredible accuracy. It could only be Songyi. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Taehyun drew his spare scimitar. If he missed this opportunity, they would both die.

"You damn bitch!" he roared.

His left-handed swing was clumsy, but it was enough to slash open the Lamia's throat. It wasn't a fatal blow, but it bought him time. Taehyun staggered back, pulling Narae with him. He had to get them away while the Lamia was clutching its neck. The creature, however, only offered a bloody sneer.

"Sorry, but I'm not the only one. There's another."

"No way...!"

This Lamia had been concealed by information manipulation. If there was another, it had to be one of the Desert Tribe Greatwarriors, hidden by a disguise. Taehyun frantically looked toward the rest of his party.

[A-rank Raider Injong Seo has activated Fountain of Healing.]

[For a certain period, all raiders' health and stamina will be restored.]

[Fountain of Healing uses remaining: 1/1]

[A-rank Raider Injong Seo has died.]

Injong's severed head was rolling across the floor. He had activated his final skill in the moment before his death, but it wasn't enough to save him. Taehyun ground his teeth, watching his own arm slowly regenerate. Seonghwi and the others were finally engaging the second Guardian, but it was too late. They had lost their priest. Without heals and buffs, a sustained battle was impossible. From now on, they would have to fight with extreme caution.

"The priest is gone," the Lamia hissed, her voice a gurgle. "That should put a hitch in your plans. Good luck, Taehyun Yoo."

"I'll tear you to shreds, you bitch!"

The Lamia, presumably a Guardian, melted back into the shadows and fled. Taehyun considered giving chase but decided to set Narae down first.

"A-Are you okay?" she stammered.

"Finish disarming the turret," he said, his tone flat and dangerously calm. "I'm going to help the raid party."

"O-Oh. R-Right."

She was too stunned by his informal, authoritative tone to argue. And with that, the brutal battle of the fourth floor began to draw to a close.

---

The Guardian disguised as a Desert Tribe Greatwarrior finally collapsed. It had fought savagely, even using a single-use skill with its greatsword, but it was no match for the entire raid party.

[A-rank Guardian, Human Slayer Hyuncheol Im]

The Guardian was none other than Hyuncheol Im, a member of the Black Alliance faction. He must have been using a disguise item the entire time.

"So the Lamia bitch was hidden with information manipulation, and this bastard was using a disguise," Taehyun muttered, surveying the scene.

"No wonder it blew right past me and Seonghwi," Geonwoo said. "It was an A-rank Guardian all along."

"We saved Narae, but losing Injong is a major blow," Seonghwi added grimly. "A long-term battle is out of the question now."

The party's gazes fell on Injong's corpse. Since he had died during the mission, he was likely spectating from somewhere else. Taehyun's eyes drifted to the now-silent Advanced Mana Turret.

''They installed an Advanced Turret on the fourth floor and sent two Guardians just to eliminate our priest... Does that mean the Dungeon Master was getting desperate?''

He had estimated they were about halfway through, but the dungeon's recent moves felt panicked, as if they were trying to inflict as much damage as possible before the final room. Taehyun made his decision and turned to Narae.

"That... Is your arm okay?" she asked timidly.

"It's fine. First, check this room for a Radar Seal Trap."

"Okay. Just a moment."

Her attitude had softened considerably as she cast her skill, no doubt because he had saved her life.

[A-rank Raider Narae Min has used Trap Detection.]

[A-rank Raider Narae Min has used Installation Detection.]

Her detection skills swept through the room. As expected, a faint blue light flickered on the ceiling, indicating a Radar Seal Trap.

"It's on the ceiling over there," she reported.

"Then we have no choice."

A Radar Seal Trap could not be bypassed; it had to be disarmed by a Bounty Hunter. Taehyun once again pulled Narae into his arms and leaped into the air. Fortunately, there was a crevice right next to the trap.

He landed softly.

"Disarm it, quickly. I can't hold on for long."

"Ugh. Y-You're too close," she mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"N-No! It's nothing!"

With a bright red face, Narae began to disarm the Radar Seal Trap.

---

[Radar (Advanced) has been used.]

[The structure and status from the sixth room of the 4th floor to the final room of the 5th floor are revealed.]

A map of the dungeon materialized before him. They were in the sixth room of the fourth floor, and now the radar revealed the path all the way to the final room of the fifth. Taehyun studied the layout with satisfaction.

''So that's why they were getting desperate. Only five rooms left. Including the Lamia that escaped, they have three main units remaining. If I can just handle the mercenary, this is definitely doable.''

With Injong dead, the party couldn't sustain a long fight. They were also at a disadvantage, having burned through three single-use skills. However, Seonghwi still had two of his own, and the dungeon's forces were dwindling. If they could neutralize the enemy's key players, victory was within their grasp.

''We'll camp here and push for the final room tomorrow.''

They still had camping items left. It was time to manage their fatigue and stress levels one last time.

[Camping Item has been used.]

[Alarm Magic Item has been used.]

Taehyun even used an Alarm Magic Item to ensure their camp would be secure.

[Seonghwi Hyeon: Relaxed]

[Hyunjun Jo: Tense]

[Songyi Han: Jealous]

[Taehyun Yoo: Calm]

[Geonwoo Lee: Wary]

[Narae Min: Heart-pounding]

''Why is she acting up again?'' Taehyun thought, annoyed. ''Is raiding a dungeon supposed to be a heart-pounding experience?''

Narae had her head bowed, fidgeting with her fingers. The Bounty Hunter was proving to be a constant source of irritation.

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