[Translator - Pr?ks]

    [Proofreader - Pr?ks]

    Chapter 41

    By the time Seonghyun and Kim Chegeon arrived, a considerable number of users were already present.

    They were entering the dungeon in order of their group numbers, which were displayed at the entrance.

    It was currently group 57''s turn to enter.

    Seonghyun and Kim Chegeon, belonging to group 99, still had a long wait ahead.

    Curious about what would happen if they missed their turn, Seonghyun observed the scene.

    Just then, a user who was running late arrived.

    "Ah! I''m in group 44! Ha-have they already gone in!?"

    "Yes, I heard if you miss your turn, you''re pushed to the back of the line and have to enter later."

    "N-no way!?"

    The late user''s predicament answered Seonghyun''s question.

    Relieved that they had arrived on time, Seonghyun and Kim Chegeon leisurely observed the other users entering the dungeon.

    Suddenly, a commotion arose at the entrance.

    A man of imposing stature and a surprisingly petite woman were causing a scene.

    "Waiting is so boring. Why don''t we just kill everyone and go in first? Don''t you think so, Karlak?"

    "...Hmm."

    "...?"

    "???"

    The onlookers stared at the duo with bewildered expressions, taken aback by the woman''s aggressive remarks.

    It seemed like an awfully harsh joke.

    As if sensing their confusion, the woman continued,

    "Hmm~ What should we do, Karlak?"

    "...The guild told us to exercise restraint."

    The hulking man replied cautiously to the small woman.

    It was an odd sight.

    Typically, it would be the man making such threats, not the petite woman.

    "Are you crazy???"

    One of the users exclaimed in response to the woman''s earlier statement.

    Without turning her head, the woman rolled her eyes to fix her gaze on the user.

    Then, with a sinister grin, she snapped her fingers.

    Five fiery spears materialized in mid-air.

    In an instant, magic filled the air, and the users'' faces turned pale.

    This quest was supposedly restricted to users below level 50 who hadn''t undergone their second job advancement.

    How could this woman wield such powerful magic?

    Fear crept onto the users'' faces, replacing their initial shock.

    Someone noticed the emblem on the woman''s and the man''s shoulders and shouted.

    "H-holy crap! L-look at their shoulders!!"

    Everyone''s eyes followed the direction of the shout.

    Emblazoned on their shoulders was a symbol of a withered willow tree, seemingly vibrating with an eerie energy.

    Most people present recognized the emblem.

    "Echo Willow!?!"

    "N-no way, Echo Willow?!"

    "H-holy..."

    Echo Willow.

    It was one of the large guilds, but few wished to join it.

    They were infamous.

    Most of the guild members had accumulated notoriety, and they didn''t hesitate to engage in unsavory behavior.

    It was a large guild where the worst of the worst gathered.

    Although Echo Willow wasn''t a top-ranking guild, it wasn''t a pushover either.

    The fact that it had become a large guild despite consisting only of notorious players was proof that it housed many skilled, albeit infamous, users.

    Seeing the majority of the crowd stunned, the woman finally smiled with satisfaction and nodded.

    "Yes, this is the atmosphere I like. Don''t you think so, Karlak?"

    "...The guild told us to exercise restraint, Wooz."

    "Ugh spoilsport! Fine."

    Wooz, the petite woman, pouted at the words of the giant man called Karlak and snapped her fingers again.

    The fire spears that had materialized in the air vanished instantly.

    Although the fire spears disappeared, their intimidating aura lingered.

    The silence in the area was broken only by the sound of gulping.

    Amidst this tense atmosphere, Seonghyun was the only one tilting his head in confusion.

    ''Where is Echo Willow?''

    He wondered if he should ask Kim Chegeon through the party chat.

    Just then, a message arrived from Kim Chegeon.

    ‘Did she read my confused expression? ‘

    She seems pretty perceptive.

    [JoseonBestSwordsmanKimChegeon - I apologize, but do you know what Echo Willow is?]

    ...Seonghyun paused to think.

    So she doesn''t know either.

    Seonghyun didn''t bother replying and simply shook his head at Kim Chegeon, ignoring the message.

    Kim Chegeon seemed to understand and didn''t seem too bothered by it.

    Although many were surprised, these two weren''t the type to make a fuss over just five fire spears.

    They simply shrugged it off.

    ''If they attack, we''ll fight back.''

    Both Seonghyun and Kim Chegeon shared a similar thought as they moved on.

    When it was group 78''s turn, the giant man, Karlak, and the woman, Wooz, entered.

    Not long after the others entered, it was finally time for group 99, Seonghyun and Kim Chegeon.

    As stated at the entrance, Rox''s Tomb assigned different starting points to those who weren''t in the same group.

    However, it didn''t matter to Seonghyun.

    Clang!

    A fierce metallic sound resonated through the area.

    With that sound, Kim Chegeon winced slightly, her wrist aching as she was pushed back a bit.

    She realized that Seonghyun might not be able to block such force alone.

    Just as Kim Chegeon was about to shout a warning, Kaishak''s tail, already recoiling, curled like a whip and lashed towards Seonghyun.

    The tail, tearing through the air towards Seonghyun, was blocked by a red membrane right before his eyes.

    Bang!

    The air exploded as the tail, which was expected to rip through the thin membrane, was stopped in its tracks.

    Kaishak''s laughter abruptly ceased.

    "K?"

    "?!?!"

    "..."

    When the thin membrane was summoned and blocked the tail attack, both Kaishak and Kim Chegeon, were taken aback.

    Kaishak was astonished that such a thin membrane could stop its tail, while Kim Chegeon, although aware that Seonghyun wasn''t a warrior or swordsman, was surprised to find him wielding Black Magic.

    ''A Black Mage with such swordsmanship...''

    Kim Chegeon couldn''t help but be amazed.

    Even where she trained, few seniors could handle a sword with such skill.

    Just what was his identity?

    While Kim Chegeon and Kaishak were both surprised, Seonghyun, with his usual calm expression, summoned a bone arrow and shot it towards Kaishak.

    The swiftly conjured bone arrow flew towards Kaishak, who quickly deflected it by coiling its tail around its body.

    Ting!

    Having successfully blocked the bone arrow with a timely reaction, Kaishak finally noticed a spear made of teal light flying towards it from Seonghyun.

    It had to block it.

    Instinctively feeling the danger, Kaishak tried to retract its tail to block the spear.

    Perhaps due to the forceful change in direction, a strange sound emanated from the tail.

    Crack! Crack!

    But Kaishak, seemingly unconcerned, brought its tail forward for defense and blocked the teal spear.

    Or rather, it tried to.

    The timing was perfect.

    The tail had clearly struck the spear''s trajectory.

    Yet, the tail passed through it as if it were an illusion.

    And the spear flew through, piercing Kaishak precisely in the heart.

    Thud!

    "Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

    Kaishak screamed in agony.

    With that scream, its eyes turned black.

    [Critical Hit!]

    [The effect of 『One Strike!』 is activated!]

    [Dark damage applied.]

    [Imp, Kaishak''s sight and senses are impaired for 3 seconds.]

    A mere 3 seconds.

    But those 3 seconds were more than enough for Seonghyun and Kim Chegeon.

    Kim Chegeon, snapping out of her surprise, closed the distance while Seonghyun was casting his spell, reaching Kaishak almost at the same time as him.

    Seonghyun swung his sword at Kaishak, and Kim Chegeon did the same.

    The yellow energy imbued in Kim Chegeon''s sword enhanced her speed and power, leaving a long gash on Kaishak''s upper body.

    Seonghyun''s sword strike, though shallower than Kim Chegeon''s, was still powerful enough to leave a long cut on Kaishak''s body.

    There were still 2 seconds left.

    Both of them used that time to unleash a flurry of sword attacks on Kaishak, who collapsed without even a whimper.

    [You gain experience.]

    A message indicating experience gain appeared.

    And as always, teal smoke billowed.

    A welcome system window popped up in front of Seonghyun.

    [You can use 『Death Legion』.]

    [Would you like to raise 『Death Legion』?]

    An Imp undead...

    Just as Seonghyun, pleased with the prospect, was about to raise the Imp as a death soldier, footsteps echoed from the opposite passage.

    Soon, two figures emerged.

    "Oh my? More users? This is a reward, right, Karlak?"

    "...It''s fine inside the dungeon."

    The two muttered to each other.

    As they faced each other, several system windows appeared before Seonghyun.

    [This is a notorious user.]

    [Attacking will not increase your notoriety.]

    [This is a notorious user.]

    [Attacking will not increase your notoriety.]

    [Entering combat mode.]

    Above their heads, their names and levels were displayed.

    『Notorious User - Lv.45 Karlak』

    『Notorious User - Lv.49 Wooz』

    The imposing Karlak and the petite Wooz appeared with an air of arrogance.

    Seonghyun turned his head, seemingly pleased with the encounter.

    Then, from Kaishak''s corpse, laughter echoed.

    -K giggle! K giggle! K giggle!

    The laughter was audible only to Seonghyun.

    Hearing it, Seonghyun thought,

    ''I need to test out the Imp undead.''

    Perfect opponents had just presented themselves.

    [Translator - Pr?ks]

    [Proofreader - Pr?ks]