Chapter 63
It wasn’t for nothing that they had overthrown the number one-ranked guild in South Korea.
Because it was a Forced Dungeon, the boss’s difficulty was high, but Park Chung-ho—and the ones who would later become his left and right-hand men, Yaksha and the Western Shaman—were not to be underestimated.
As if to split its head in one blow, Park Chung-ho’s giant axe came down from above with a tremendous roar, shaking the Corrupted Gargoyle’s massive body.
CRASH!! Thud, thud.
However, contrary to Park Chung-ho’s intent, the axe struck not the crown of its head, but its wings.
At some point, the two wings had unfurled and wrapped around the Corrupted Gargoyle’s entire body.
For a creature made of stone, its movements were too fast, making Park Chung-ho’s eyebrow twitch.
With a swoosh, the wings spread wide.
The moment they unfolded, the Corrupted Gargoyle swung its fist as if to crush Park Chung-ho.
“[Drizzle Shield].”
But who was the Western Shaman?
Was he not the final gate one had to pass to reach Park Chung-ho?
He didn’t just stand by.
A talisman burned at his fingertips, and a sky-blue barrier formed around Park Chung-ho.
Ting!!
It blocked the Corrupted Gargoyle’s fist.
But the hastily erected barrier couldn’t withstand all of its power.
With a single blow, it shattered into sky-blue fragments before their eyes.
The Western Shaman’s face contorted at the unexpectedly destructive force.
THUD!!
The fist that broke through slammed into Park Chung-ho, whipping the air around him into a violent gust.
Sssk.
The Corrupted Gargoyle’s fist, which had completely swallowed Park Chung-ho’s body from view, slowly pulled back.
Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
Whether he’d managed to block it with his forehead in that instant, red blood flowed from Park Chung-ho’s brow, down his chin, and dripped to the floor.
“Should I have made the barrier stronger?”
His guild master had been hit.
Yet the Western Shaman’s arms looked far too relaxed.
He maintained his characteristic smile as he toyed with a talisman, while Yaksha—fighting on the front line—only flicked a brief glance over before returning to the boss.
In this strange situation, Jang Han-bit, who had been watching the battle the whole time, spoke anxiously.
“Why isn’t anyone worried? He’s bleeding so much. Surely he won’t lose, right?”
As always, the answer came from Park Jae-hyun nearby.
“He will not lose. Do you know the guild master’s nickname?”
“Nickname? I think I’ve heard it, but what was it?”
“Berserker. The Berserker who knows no defeat.”
Park Chung-ho, the Berserker.
His body, which had been still, moved again.
A pained groan escaped him as he touched his split forehead.
“Ah….”
Then he stuck out his tongue and licked the blood running down his cheek.
“This rock pile is pretty fast, huh?”
A dark smile spread across Park Chung-ho’s lips.
A chilling, maniacal laugh—terrifying just to witness—echoed through the Dungeon.
“Khahahaha! This is fun. So much fun!”
The Park Chung-ho who had been walking slowly began to accelerate.
His strength, too, seemed to rise—so much that it felt like an illusion, as if the giant axe in his hands had suddenly become light.
He charged the Corrupted Gargoyle, swinging the axe as if it were a paper club and cleaving through the air.
In that moment, all of Park Chung-ho’s [All Stats] seemed to surge.
“Move!”
BOOM!!!
The instant his shout erupted, Park Chung-ho landed hard beside Yaksha, who had been fighting the Corrupted Gargoyle.
Thud!
The impact shook the ground.
He was so fast that even Yaksha flinched.
Grin.
Smiling like a madman, Park Chung-ho slung the axe over his shoulder and twisted his body.
Before him, one wing—and a wrist he hadn’t been able to sever no matter what—detached from the Corrupted Gargoyle and crashed to the floor.
Kuuuuung!
Its massive body cracked the ground as chunks shattered off.
It didn’t stop there.
“Do it again. Make it more fun.”
Park Chung-ho raised his axe once more and stepped toward the Corrupted Gargoyle, now missing a wing and a hand.
Yaksha and the Western Shaman moved in closer to the unbelievably fast, violent Park Chung-ho.
His speed and power had risen to a level no ordinary person could ever reach.
And yet, even while witnessing that insanity with their own eyes, the Western Shaman and Yaksha drew closer still.
As if they could match his patterns and speed.
“You’ve started. Shall we match you for the first time in a while?”
The Western Shaman lowered his stance and drew more talismans.
Gnash! Gnash!
Yaksha’s muscles swelled, his form growing more and more wolf-like.
As if to prove their confidence wasn’t empty, their fast, violent attack patterns began to overwhelm the Corrupted Gargoyle.
= = =
‘So this is what they meant by “different from the start.”’
This was them, decades younger than in his past life.
Of course, they couldn’t compare to what they would become later—but even factoring that in, monsters were monsters.
It was then.
Zzzzt.
For a moment, like static from an old TV, the Dungeon itself blurred—then snapped back into focus.
‘What was that?’
It was so vivid and strange he almost doubted his own senses.
Then a System notification appeared, pulling his focus back where it belonged.
[The Forced Dungeon’s boss, ‘Corrupted Gargoyle,’ confirms an intruder.]
The Corrupted Gargoyle’s empty, colorless eyes fixed on Hyuk-min.
Despite losing, it made direct eye contact with him.
‘….!?’
Until now, it hadn’t shown the slightest change in expression.
It might have been his imagination, but the moment their eyes met, he felt as if it were smiling.
‘Something’s strange.’
Kuuuuung!
The ground rumbled.
It was the sound of the Corrupted Gargoyle’s remaining wing being torn off.
Now all it had left was one arm and one leg.
‘The raid is almost over. I have to start now.’
Hyuk-min released [Hide (Stealth)].
With the Western Shaman here, stealth was meaningless.
Even now, while focused on the fight, that man probably already knew Hyuk-min was present.
Thump! Thump-thump!
With the battle moving at a frantic pace, the timing to act had finally arrived.
Hyuk-min moved at the exact moment the three of them struck the Corrupted Gargoyle at once.
“It’ll be over soon.”
Right in front of him, Park Jae-hyun nodded beside Jang Han-bit.
And on both their wrists sat the [Dark Ring].
The only reason Hyuk-min had given them the stat-boosting [Dark Ring] was for this purpose.
No matter where they went, no matter where they hid—
He had to be able to find them.
“It will be over.”
“….!!”
Jang Han-bit and Park Jae-hyun jolted at Hyuk-min’s voice.
“A mask…? Wh-who are you?!”
Hyuk-min moved his mana and reached for Jang Han-bit first.
[Poison Shadow Art.]
[Soul Dominating Art!]
[The target’s mental strength is low. The target will be suppressed and controlled.]
At the same time, he clamped a hand over Park Jae-hyun’s mouth and slammed him into the ground.
Thud!
Park Jae-hyun’s arms went limp without even a hint of resistance.
‘Right now, you’re the only one I need.’
Under [Soul Dominating Art], Jang Han-bit could only blink.
Hyuk-min leaned in and whispered a command into his ear.
= = =
Kugugugugung!
The Corrupted Gargoyle’s massive head fell.
As it shattered into dust, the stones that made up its body began to crack and break apart.
Its crumbling body turned into a pale, dusty mist and scattered.
The cloud that rose and blurred their vision was sucked away by a wind blowing from somewhere.
It was undoubtedly the Western Shaman’s doing.
“Is it over?”
Park Chung-ho drove his axe into the ground and propped his leg against it.
As the last piece of the Corrupted Gargoyle disintegrated into dust, a System message arrived for everyone.
[You are the first to clear a Forced Dungeon.]
[The Title ‘First to Clear a Forced Dungeon’ has been granted.]
After clearing came the final stage.
It was time to receive the reward.
Creeeeak.
It wasn’t the boss room—it was the reward room.
With a rusty metallic screech, a large door began to open.
As it swung wide, torches inside the dark room ignited all at once.
Only then did they see the final reward.
A perfectly spherical black orb.
“Is that it? The ‘Corrupted Core’?”
With everything finished, Park Chung-ho’s steps toward the reward were vigorous.
He yanked his embedded axe free and strode toward the room.
How many months had he suffered to obtain that?
At the thought of finally being rewarded for all that hardship, Park Chung-ho couldn’t take his eyes off the black orb.
“Guild Master, it seems we have a guy to deal with first.”
“Wasn’t that thing the boss?”
At the Western Shaman’s words, Park Chung-ho stopped and turned.
“That guy is here.”
From where Park Jae-hyun and Jang Han-bit had been, Hyuk-min—wearing a white fox mask—walked over.
A frown formed on Park Chung-ho’s brow.
“That guy?”
“It’s the one who attacked us.”
“Didn’t you say you took care of him before?”
“It seems… I was tricked.”
The Western Shaman’s smile vanished.
Disbelief filled his eyes as he watched Hyuk-min approach, perfectly fine.
He had clearly confirmed he was dying.
He had seen him out of his mind.
“Moreover, he looks exactly the same as when he attacked me back then.”
Then who was this person standing in front of them now?
While Park Chung-ho and the Western Shaman spoke in low voices, Hyuk-min turned his head toward the entrance.
It was dark—nothing visible.
But Hyuk-min could see faint wisps of black smoke drifting out.
“Yaksha, take care of him.”
Awooo~~
Park Chung-ho gave the command.
Yaksha shot forward, fast enough to stir the wind.
Running on all fours, his speed was hard to track with the naked eye.
Despite the distance, in the blink of an eye Yaksha leapt, claws sharpened to tear out Hyuk-min’s throat.
“No Death!”
It was then—
CRASH!!!
Yaksha’s claws didn’t tear Hyuk-min apart.
Instead, the one sent flying and slammed into the wall was Yaksha.
A deep frown creased Park Chung-ho’s brow.
“I’m not late, am I?”
“Take care of that guy.”
“Okay.”
Wrapped in black smoke, No Death lowered his two daggers.
Swish! Swish! Grrr.
Yaksha shook his head once or twice.
The moment he recovered, No Death rushed him at high speed through the black smoke.
The daggers swung again, and Yaksha’s claws met them, sending red sparks bursting like fireworks.
Clang!
Speed against speed.
Power against power.
“Western Shaman.”
“Yes, I will assist.”
Their skills were similar, but Park Chung-ho and the Western Shaman could see it.
Yaksha, even in werewolf form, was being pushed back slightly by No Death.
Park Chung-ho’s brow tightened.
“Is this what Seoul is like? A bunch of unheard-of guys are pretty good.”
The Western Shaman lit several talismans and started toward No Death.
At that very moment—
BANG!!
A gunshot rang out.
The Western Shaman’s head snapped around, and his barrier shattered before his eyes.
Blood trickled down his cheek.
His eyes—burning with fury—met Hyuk-min’s.
“How dare you….”
“A shame about the barrier. I’ll pierce it properly this time. No mistakes.”
Hyuk-min intended to imbue his pistol with mana and fire a [Railgun].
“This bastard, that bastard. Heave-ho!”
“….?!!”
A chilling sensation washed over Hyuk-min.
At the sound of something tearing through the air, he kicked off the ground and threw himself backward.
WHOOSH!!
Something grazed past his eyes by a hair’s breadth.
BOOM!!!!!
An explosion erupted from the opposite wall—exactly where Hyuk-min had been standing.
He knew without looking.
The person capable of that kind of power and precision right now wasn’t the Western Shaman, nor Yaksha.
Only one.
Park Chung-ho, the Berserker.
“Fast, aren’t you? I thought it was a sure hit. Looking at you, you’re at my level, huh?”
Hyuk-min ignored him and checked the remaining time on [Regression Mode].
43 seconds remaining.
In the distance, he could see No Death in danger as the Western Shaman interfered indirectly.
Hyuk-min tightened his grip on the [Immortal Demon Sword].
‘About halfway. It’s time to settle this.’
Imbuing himself with mana, he shot across the ground toward Park Chung-ho.
There was no preparatory motion.
Bewilderment flashed across Park Chung-ho’s face.
“Well now.”
He hadn’t expected Hyuk-min to be this fast.
Thud!
Hyuk-min slammed his foot down and swung the [Immortal Demon Sword] in a wide horizontal arc.
The explosive force amplified as his foot dug into the ground.
Nick.
“Son of a b…”
It was a shame.
His first strike ended as nothing more than a shallow cut along Park Chung-ho’s neck, as Park Chung-ho bent his upper body far back to avoid the blade.
Hyuk-min saw Park Chung-ho’s finger twitch.
As expected of a hidden weapon, the giant axe—previously stuck in the wall—began returning.
‘Two of you might be a problem, but….’
Hyuk-min loosened his grip, holding the sword by the end of the hilt.
Then, spinning his body, he hurled the [Immortal Demon Sword] with all his strength toward the returning axe.
CLANG!!
The returning axe was struck, lost its momentum, and dropped.
‘Alone, you can’t beat me right now.’
Hyuk-min imbued his fist with mana and threw a punch.
A strange light flickered in Park Chung-ho’s eyes.
He hadn’t expected Hyuk-min to throw his sword.
Realizing too late, Park Chung-ho also imbued his fist with mana and swung.
Their fists collided in mid-air!
CLANG!!
Mana against mana.
Fist against fist.
Power against power.
The result was decided in an instant.
“Guh!”
Park Chung-ho staggered back, clutching his wrist.
“Hey, call your lackey over, you bastard.”