Chapter 141: Kagoshima Dragon Raid (4)
The Awakened approached the S-Class Gate, known as the worst disaster, without any hesitation.
But the man turned out to be a freelance hunter?
‘Could it be that the Korean guilds didn’t treat him properly?’
‘But why hasn’t he set up his own guild?’
‘Could he be dissatisfied with his country itself?’
‘Right. He took the plunge to cooperate in an S-Class Gate that’s almost like a death sentence, so he must have some interest in our country!’
In what felt like a blink of an eye, the hunters of Japan silently gathered their thoughts.
‘We’ll capture him as soon as this raid is over!’
‘Contact the government immediately to prepare for a residency permit.’
‘What do Koreans like…?’
Their eyes glinted like those of predators eyeing their prey.
*
An hour later.
We wasted no time and dived into the dungeon raid.
The longer we delayed, the more monsters would appear here.
‘The Japanese hunter industry commonly uses the term “raid.”’
Boom! Whoosh!
Soon after, a blazing fire created by Ito Hunter engulfed the enemy.
The firepower boiled even the poison pools of the dungeon in an instant. The Japanese hunters didn’t stop there; they relentlessly unleashed skills upon the dragon.
Lightning struck down, and gusts of wind sliced through the enemies with ferocious intensity.
While I wondered how S-Class hunters cooperated in Japan, it turned out their method was quite simple.
They kept their distance to avoid affecting each other and bombarded the central monster with skills to overwhelm it with instant firepower.
‘That hunter stands out the most. It seems the top is still the top, huh.’
As Ito placed his hand on the ground, a large circle appeared at the dragon’s feet.
This circle gradually filled with red as…
‘Wow, it’s getting hot here.’
Roar!
A fierce flame erupted from below. The skill activated by Ito looked like a colossal spirit ascending to the heavens.
However, where the bright flames passed left only the unpleasant smell of burning flesh and the grotesque, bubbling skin of the dragon.
“────!”
Just then.
Crack! A loud shattering sound pierced the air.
“Ugh!”
“Ugh…”
This was the dragon’s special skill, [Fear].
And as seen, it had a high chance of paralyzing all enemies nearby.
Moritake Ito Hunter had just fallen into a paralyzed state from that fear.
‘Most low-grade hunters would have a heart attack from just Fear.’
The strength and sturdiness of a dragon were truly beyond imagination.
The S-Class dragon wouldn’t miss this moment and swung its tail, launching a series of attacks.
Do you know what happened to the earthlings from just that one tail swipe?
I clicked my tongue as I saw hunters with red skin scraped off by the dragon’s scales.
‘Can this end without killing anyone…?’
But the outcome exceeded my expectations. Soon after, Ito broke free from his paralysis and finished off the dying dragon with a skill.
“Hah, hah, huh!”
“Potion, potion!”
“Healers, come over here!”
I followed the AI voice from Pixie’s translator with my ears.
But wait, they were struggling while I looked so peaceful?
‘When will we meet the boss?’
I had no choice. I had declared that I wouldn’t step onto the front lines from before coming to Japan.
To be precise, I planned to save all my strength and cast [Binding] once the dungeon boss appeared, so I used that as an excuse to stay out of the action.
But I wondered if it was alright for me to sit back, let alone for this guy.
“Kang Chang-ho Hunter.”
I spoke to the S-Class standing behind me.
“With your skills, shouldn’t you help out a little?”
But Kang Chang-ho replied with disinterest.
“It’s already been decided.”
Well, this S-Class was solely there to protect his own sacrifices.
Kang Chang-ho had also stated before entering the country that he had no intention of fighting the dragon, so he made it clear to just ignore compensations or anything like that.
“I thought challenging an S-Class Gate would be entertaining to watch, but you’re only using [Binding]?”
He looked visibly disappointed ever since I used my skill.
Of course, it was understandable for him to feel that way. Binding was a typical low-grade skill. Thus, the items related to that skill were always abundant in the market.
‘Although skill stones must be expensive, it’s still not worth taking from Enhancement Heart.’
With nothing to do, I thought I’d go help the kids a bit.
I surveyed the remnants of the battlefield after the fight.
“Ugh, ugh…”
The Japanese hunters were in no condition to say they were defeated by minions.
The outward injuries would quickly heal with the healer’s regeneration magic or restorative potions, but…
“AAAGH!”
The problem was the Poison Breath used by the poison dragons.
The enemies here carried a truly terrifying toxicity that matched the name of S-Class.
They managed to endure with antidotes, but some hunters already started complaining of breathing difficulties.
‘Poison dragon, huh.’
Before we reached the boss, about five would likely fall unconscious.
But we had to keep pushing forward, even if our raid team dwindled. If we gave up and went outside, the enemies we painstakingly reduced would just return.
‘How many are left until we reach the boss?’
I closed my eyes, gauging the number of remaining enemies.
And at that moment.
Thud, thud, thud…
In the distance, the heavy footsteps of a four-legged beast echoed through the cavern.
“Damn it, another dragon’s involved.”
But escaping wasn’t an option. Many hunters were still trapped in the state of poisoning, and surely someone would lag behind.
“Everyone, get up! If there’s any foreign substance on your weapons, wipe it off immediately!”
Moritake Ito barked commands as the enemies approached.
What followed was a scene of elite hunters battling that was no different from what we had seen before.
‘Ugh, it’s dazzling.’
Fire and poison.
Thunder and roars.
And the dungeon’s terrain shifting crazily with every passing skill.
I stayed 80 meters away from the fight, just in case any stray sparks flew my way.
Somehow, an unusual sight emerged from the battleground.
“Hah, ugh…”
A hunter had stopped moving and was staggering in place.
He was so youthful-looking he could almost be mistaken for a teenager.
‘What’s he doing?’
This was the S-Class who introduced himself as Iori. After observing him for a moment, I saw that he was clutching his chest before he eventually dropped to his knees.
‘Could it be that he inhaled too much poison and went into some kind of spasm?’
That felt somewhat ominous.
The other teammates were too busy fighting the dragon to pay attention, and coincidentally, the position where he collapsed was perfectly aligned with the dragon’s head.
SWISH!
I knew this would happen.
I had thought about the timing of the activation, but that reptile truly exhaled its Poison Breath.
Boom!
Now the raid team had become experienced, shooting all kinds of spells right into the dragon’s mouth as it opened, resulting in the dragon’s life coming to an end.
“Iori!”
“Huh.”
“Damn!”
They only realized their teammate’s condition when the dragon’s head finally fell.
Iori had been swept away into the distant poison pool by the dragon’s breath.
If left alone, the unconscious hunter would surely submerge beneath the pool.
“Someone, use a skill…!”
The Japanese Awakened were flustered, scrambling due to the sudden emergency.
Of those gathered here, the only one capable of rescuing him was a wind specialist, but regrettably, that individual happened to be the Great Technician.
So we had to solve this physically.
“Huh?”
Splash.
I dashed forward as the dragon’s breath began, diving into the poison pool.
Using my experience from my previous life, I skillfully swam and rescued the fallen hunter. That was all there was to it.
‘Haven’t swum in a while.’
Now, it was my turn to get thanked for saving a fellow earthling…
‘Huh?’
As I wiped the liquid from my eyes, I finally caught sight of their expressions.
They looked at me in utter shock. The reason for their reaction was clear.
“You went into the poison pool barehanded…?”
Come to think of it, did I ever mention I had poison resistance?
‘Wait, thinking about it, there’s really no need to reveal this ability for all the world to see?’
The contemplation didn’t last long.
I was a mage quick to secure my own interests. I immediately made minor adjustments to my body.
Whoosh.
Thud.
I pretended to faint by draining the color from my skin like the other S-Class hunters affected by the poison.
“AAAH!”
“Healers, come this way right now!”
“Where’s the antidote!”
But I realized I couldn’t keep this act up for long.
It wasn’t just the antidote that had entered my nose; one of the Enhancement Heart possessors was glaring at me coldly.
“Wait a moment. Calm down.”
I lay down flat and only opened my eyes to stop him.
As I managed to calm Kang Chang-ho for a while, Iori had also discreetly finished treatment and regained consciousness.
*
—No, Chang-ho, wait. Just hear me out. I’m also S-Class; I wouldn’t die just from taking a dip here; what are you thinking…
“Iori, are you alright?”
“Are you back to your senses?”
A hunter from Japan slowly raised his upper body.
Even at that moment, the Koreans were noisily conversing, yet he couldn’t understand a single word they were saying.
‘It’s broken.’
Iori threw the earpiece he had been wearing to the ground.
It seemed like he had fainted for a moment during the fight with the dragon.
“Say hi to Mr. Gi-ryeo. He’s the one who helped you.”
At that moment, Iori learned what had happened while he was unconscious and immediately turned to the Korean hunter.
“You fell into the poison pool to save me?”
Since the translator on the other end was still functioning, there shouldn’t be any problem hearing him.
“I-I’m sorry! And… thank you so much.”
Hearing this, Kim Gi-ryeo began to speak, but a guild member beside him interpreted for him.
“He says, if you’re that grateful, you should put in a lot of effort during the raid. He said you were the main firepower that saved him.”
“Really?”
The man lying on the ground added a few more words afterward.
“He thought it would be hard to clear if you weren’t there.”
“Um…”
“Since you’re almost at the boss, he told you to hang in there and win.”
Now that I think about it, the way Kim Gi-ryeo looked resembled a sharp kitchen knife.
It might feel somewhat normal to say such merciless words since he saved me for being useful.
Muttering.
Iori showed a moment of surprise upon hearing Kim Gi-ryeo’s last statement.
—When we reach the boss, I’ll make sure you win.
At the end of this fight, victory was guaranteed.
That was the best encouragement I had ever wanted to hear.
Kim Gi-ryeo wasn’t lying.
ROAARRRRR!
When we dispatched the minions guarding the king’s lair and finally encountered the master of this place.
The blond envoy cast the Binding he had shown before, completely securing the boss.
Its mouth, neck, strong hands, and wings that cut through the sky were all intertwined in threads of light, leaving not a single muscle to budge. The only fate left for the trapped dragon was one.
*YEEEOW!?
BAM BAM BAM!
The saturated skills from the hunters followed.
Thanks to Kim Gi-ryeo’s Binding, they easily brought down the boss.
They had truly cleared the worst gate, dubbed a disaster, before a dungeon break could even occur.
“Did… we really do it?”
“E-exit. It’s the exit!”
There were zero deaths throughout the process!
Of course, more than half of the challengers were left with injuries that would be impossible to recover from, but even with that in mind, this was a truly historic record!
“AH! We did it! We really did it!”
“Ito-san, we made it!”
“Wowow!”
Kang Chang-ho, who was standing in the corner, muttered that the monster seemed weaker than he had expected.
But no one paid him any mind.
Immediately afterward, rewards for the heroes who vanquished the disaster began to be bestowed.
‘Boss Defeat Rewards!’
Shining orbs descended near the top five hunters who contributed to the dragon’s defeat.
‘Please be lungs! Please be lungs!’
Gi-ryeo clasped his hands and urgently prayed, but it was all in vain.
In the end, not even a whiff of the dragon’s organs appeared.
‘Dammit!’
Gi-ryeo was filled with despair.
And at that moment, near Ito, the top-ranked in Japan, a dazzling great sword descended…
“……!”
Just one person failed!
In reality, this raid had been quite successful.
Not only did no hunters die, but even the rewards granted by the gate were superb.
But the problem was.
“Iori, come over here and use your emotion skill.”
The fact that the outcome had been so ‘good’ was the real issue.
Ito immediately recognized the value of the great sword he had been granted. There was no need to use an analytic skill to sense it.
The power emanating from it was something anyone who had awakened magic could readily notice.
[???]
[Grade: ??]
[Description: ??]
A treasure from another world that humanoid emotional techniques could hardly glimpse.
“Emotion… impossible?”
This was an extreme rare tier that hadn’t even dropped in the S-Class Gate in Hawaii.
“Le-Legendary grade?”
It was the emergence of a Legendary item.
