Chapter 198

Words that were impossible to comprehend.

Hearing them, Embris's expression went blank.

Her companions, who were just about to charm a merchant from the Khan Merchant Guild, also froze.

‘Is this for real?’

Embris tilted her head, unable to comprehend.

How long had it been since they left, and he had already caught the mage?

“How long has it been?”

“…15 minutes since we left?”

“…And he already caught him?”

Even if he had left later than them, it couldn't have been more than a minute.

So he found and caught the mage in 16 minutes?

In this wide city?

It made no sense at all.

It was impossible even with investigation or detection skills.

“Isn’t he lying?”

“…P-Probably not.”

She didn't think he was, but it was a speed that felt like a lie.

[…Already?]

[Yes, I happened to catch him quickly.]

Junu's voice was heard, followed again by Seonghyun's.

Judging by the way he also sounded baffled, it seemed he had caught him in a rather absurd way.

‘How can someone be that lucky?’

That thought dominated her mind.

[…We’ll be there.]

Embris replied and looked at her companions.

“…Let’s go back.”

Her voice was drained of some of its energy.

Her companions knew this well, and they all returned the way they came, dejected.

‘How on earth did he catch him?’

She was filled with curiosity, but the thought that she had lost again left her feeling dispirited.

As they returned, they could see Junu's and Seonghyun's parties already there.

And in the middle of them…

“P-Please spare me.”

Was an NPC in mage's robes, bound and trembling, already thoroughly terrified.

‘Is that mage really the one who took the request from the Khan Merchant Guild and released monsters in the labyrinth?’

‘Couldn't it be someone else?’

Just as Embris was holding onto that hope, Jarod, who had rushed back after being contacted, spoke with surprise.

“Th-This is him. H-How on earth did you do it so quickly?”

Even Jarod, who had always maintained a noble demeanor, was so surprised that he asked Seonghyun.

For Jarod to say that… it seemed he was the real one.

Watching the startled Jarod ask his question, Seonghyun awkwardly scratched his cheek and spoke.

“Uhm, it just sort of happened that way.”

“Hah… Thank you. You truly are amazing.”

To think even Jarod was admiring his skill.

Junu's party nodded as they watched, while Seonghyun still looked bewildered.

The Embris party, watching this, was genuinely dumbfounded.

They weren't the type to be outmatched anywhere they went.

How could they not even win, but not even come close?

They were lost in that thought.

‘…What on earth?’

If Embris had calmed down here, she might have been able to quickly figure out Seonghyun's identity, just like Junu's party.

But with her pride wounded from the successive defeats, her vision had narrowed.

Her companions were the same.

Separate from acknowledging that Seonghyun was an incredible player, the difference was so overwhelming that their competitive spirit couldn't help but ignite.

‘Right, it'll be different in combat.’

‘Couldn't he just be skilled at investigation or tracking?’

‘Wouldn't we be ahead in a fight?’

As that thought came to them, they steeled their resolve.

As if the mage's interrogation was over, Jarod appeared again.

The final quest was, of course, just one.

“As a result of interrogating the mage, we are now able to launch a counterattack against the Khan Merchant Guild. Our guild can handle that part, but… it is said that the monsters already summoned cannot be returned. Therefore, the last thing we will request is…”

Jarod continued speaking.

The final quest was, of course, to defeat the Hidden Raid Boss summoned in the labyrinth.

It was a quest everyone had been waiting for, so they were pleased.

The Embris party was the same.

‘This time, we will definitely win!!!’

‘We'll be number one in contribution!’

‘Our party will win!!!’

‘It's not a competition, but we will win!’

She and the entire Embris party were burning with fighting spirit.

4.

After receiving the final quest from Jarod, the three parties combined and headed for the labyrinth.

Among them, Seonghyun was looking at the quest.

The mission of the quest, which was said to be the last, was simple.

→Defeat the Hidden Raid Boss, 『Man-Eating Flower of the Labyrinth, Rafflesin』.

To think it would lead to a Hidden Raid Boss here.

However, that wasn't the problem.

‘Hmm.’

If it was a Hidden Raid Boss, it would have been worth streaming live.

But this time, he wasn't doing it alone, so he naturally had to give up on streaming.

During the last large-scale event, he had planned to stream live but stopped because he thought he might deal with it in a very strange way.

And now he couldn't do it this time either.

‘It’s a bit of a shame.’

But what could he do?

It would have been weird to ask the others for their understanding and say he'd hunt it alone.

There were also rewards to be gained from the Hidden Raid Boss.

Even if the others were to yield, he felt it would be a nuisance, so he felt sorry even asking.

So Seonghyun was proceeding without even thinking about streaming.

Then, suddenly.

‘This is the first time I've hunted a Hidden Raid Boss with others. No, is it the first time I've hunted a raid boss itself with others?’

Come to think of it, that was right.

The first raid boss he faced, Anemor, he had entered with a party, but he hunted it alone.

After that, he had always raided alone.

It was his first time collaborating, so he was a little nervous, but he had collaborated with others in the memories and experiences of various ghosts.

Couldn't he just apply that?

In any case, he was confident in his firepower.

After thinking that far, Seonghyun glanced at the Embris party, who were looking at him with a strangely burdensome gaze.

He now knew very well that the Embris party was burning with a competitive spirit towards him.

Even Seonghyun could pick up on things.

However.

“Hmm. Why are they so competitive? It's a collaboration.”

He couldn't understand it.

He didn't really understand the part about their pride being wounded, or things like that.

“Ahahaha! Seonghyun, you're really funny at times like these.”

Helena burst out laughing at Seonghyun's words.

After thinking about how to explain it, Helena smiled brightly and asked.

“So, are you going to go easy on them?”

“Huh?”

Seonghyun asked back, as if asking what she meant.

Helena laughed, saying she really liked Seonghyun.

Seonghyun said to Helena.

“That's a separate issue. Wouldn't they want that too?”

“Exactly.”

He couldn't understand their competitive spirit.

But that didn't mean he planned to go easy.

He didn't think of it as a competition, but at least when it came to his own work, he wasn't the type to be satisfied with doing just enough.

He had no intention of holding back at all.

How much time had passed since they entered the labyrinth?

As they, disguised as merchants according to the mage's plan, entered a specific area of the labyrinth, a huge plant root suddenly appeared before their eyes.

It was a speed they could clearly dodge or block, but no one dodged or blocked it.

Why?

Because after the huge root appeared, it dragged them all into a certain space.

The space transformed into something like a vast garden.

Then, the root suddenly released them, and a huge flower began to bare its sharp teeth.

[You have encountered the Hidden Raid Boss, 『Man-Eating Flower of the Labyrinth, Rafflesin』.]

[The Hidden Raid will begin shortly.]

!!!Warning!!!

This is a powerful boss, different from a regular raid boss!

Be careful!!!

It was the opening event scene for the Hidden Raid Boss.

Junu's party, perhaps seeing an event scene for the first time, looked quite surprised and bewildered.

In contrast, Embris's party looked decidedly different.

Despite the ongoing event scene, they weren't flustered and their eyes showed they were already prepared.

On the other hand, Seonghyun was also a little surprised.

It was because the Hidden Raid Boss message was slightly different from what he usually saw.

‘So this kind of message appears when you enter with the proper number of people.’

Since he always entered alone, he had only seen messages telling him to flee or that it was too dangerous.

A message that simply warned him to be careful was a bit novel.

In any case, he just had to defeat it.

As soon as the event scene ended, each party readied their stance.

The first one to act was none other than Seonghyun.

Feeling his body become free, Seonghyun immediately used a skill.

Helena and Fiora were on standby for the moment.

The next fastest was, of course, Embris.

As soon as her body was free, she kicked off the ground and rushed towards Rafflesin.

Her companions did the same.

The slowest was Junu's party.

They only tried to react well after feeling their bodies become free.

While Junu's party was contemplating which skill to use first, Seonghyun's skill activated first.

A skill for maximum damage.

‘Al… ready?’

She had thought she was fast too, but seeing Seonghyun's skill activate first, Embris was inwardly impressed.

In that moment, a skill that looked somehow familiar caught her eye.

An abyss opened up at the base of the giant flower, and countless hands shot out from it, seizing Rafflesin.

[Movement sealed for 3 seconds by Grasp of the Abyss.]

[Hidden Raid Boss, 『Man-Eating Flower of the Labyrinth, Rafflesin』, is trying to resist.]

[This skill cannot be resisted.]

“Kieeeeeeeh!!!”

Just as Seonghyun was about to activate various skills against the captured Rafflesin, which was letting out a bizarre screech, Embris's party members were surprised by the somehow familiar skill.

Embris, in particular, was surprised, but at the same time, she finished casting the skill she was about to use.

Blood shot out from Embris, forming a semicircle before creating a blade sharper than anything else and launching it at Rafflesin.

Seonghyun activated the single-target skills, Black Magic Bullet and Blade of Darkness in the Shadows.

While Rafflesin's shadow stretched out like taffy, the black bullet fired from Seonghyun flew towards Rafflesin faster than the blood-red blade created by Embris.

Pew-pew-pew---!!!

Puuuuuk---!!!

Kwaaaaaang---!!!

The blade of darkness that shot out from the shadow endlessly pierced Rafflesin's stem, and the Black Magic Bullet annihilated its leaves.

Two skills of formidable power.

However, Rafflesin paid them no mind and tried to attack them by swinging its stem, but its body was completely immobilized by the Grasp of the Abyss.

Following that, Embris's blood-red blade was shot towards the stem, slower than the other two skills.

The sharply flying blood-red blade cut deeply into Rafflesin's stem.

Slice--!!

“Kieeeeeeeh!!!”

However, compared to Seonghyun's two skills, the damage output was significantly lower.

She could have been frustrated by that, but Embris wasn't.

Perhaps she had realized the identity of Seonghyun, who was currently using the skills, through the series of attacks.

Embris looked at Seonghyun, her eyes wide as saucers, and muttered.

“D…emon King?”

‘Why is the Demon King here?!’

‘Could it be that he felt familiar because he was the Demon King?’

As Embris was unable to contain her shock, Seonghyun was also surprised, seeing the system message that appeared along with Embris's skill.

[『Blood Monarch』 has discovered 『Apostle of Blood』.]

“…?”

‘What is this now?’