Chapter 93
The Awakened stepped into the dungeon.
As expected, it was a labyrinthine cave.
Like an anthill, tunnels stretched out in all directions, making it impossible to determine a clear path. Yet no one inside the dungeon panicked.
They had a guide.
As if it were only natural, Shuhan from the Inazuma raid team stepped forward.
Shuhan was an experienced guide.
Do Suyeol was also quite capable in that role, but in terms of rank and experience, he couldn’t compare to Shuhan.
Knowing his own limits, he willingly gave up the lead position.
Shuhan sniffed the air and muttered,
“Sniff, sniff… what a foul stench.”
“How bad is it?”
“It’s awful. Haven’t smelled something this nasty in a long time.”
“Is that so?”
Koji’s gaze sank deeply.
He trusted Shuhan completely.
Every dungeon Shuhan described as foul-smelling had turned out to be extremely dangerous.
He spoke to the others.
“You heard him. Stay on guard.”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
The Awakened tensed up.
Although they had entered the dungeon together, they were not one unified team.
The Inazuma raid team, Jack’s raid team, and the Awakened conscripted from the slums—
Their identities differed, and so did their purposes.
Naturally, they couldn’t fully unite.
They split into three distinct groups.
Zeon joined Jack’s raid team.
“Move out.”
With Shuhan leading the way, the Inazuma team advanced first, followed by Jack’s team, and then the Awakened from the slums.
Zeon walked at the rear of Jack’s group.
His eyes sharply scanned the cave.
The entire cave is made of sandstone. About three meters high, roughly the same in width. Those marks on the walls… claw marks?
At a glance, these details might seem trivial, but they revealed a great deal of information.
Suddenly, Zeon’s gaze fell on a small stain on the wall.
At first glance, it looked like a shadow cast by the torchlight, but Zeon immediately knew it wasn’t.
Rock-parasitic fungus?
There is a fungus known as cordyceps.
It parasitizes insects in winter and emerges like a plant in summer, hence its name.
This rock variant was named after it for its similar behavior.
On solid rock, it parasitizes demonic beasts and moves with them, but in sandy environments, it roots itself like moss.
Even among rocks, it couldn’t exert much influence in sandstone formed from compacted sand.
By itself, it posed no threat to humans.
But to certain beasts, it’s a perfect food source.
Zeon recalled creatures that were particularly fond of such fungus.
A size large enough to move freely through tunnels like these… claw marks on the walls… and this fungus. Looks like I’ve already identified the master of this dungeon.
In an instant, Zeon had deduced the dungeon’s dominant creature.
He stepped forward to inform Koji.
“Hey.”
“Quiet. Didn’t you hear? Inside a dungeon, silence is mandatory. Do not speak unless I give the order.”
Koji looked at Zeon with clear contempt.
The others shared the same sentiment.
“Tch.”
Zeon clicked his tongue softly and stepped back.
He had done what he could.
Whatever happened next was their responsibility—he felt no guilt.
At that moment, Koji signaled Shuhan.
Have you figured out what kind of beast inhabits this place?
Shuhan shook his head.
They had only just entered the dungeon.
There wasn’t enough information yet to identify the creature within.
Shuhan advanced cautiously.
There was no telling what kind of monster might leap out at any moment.
One of his roles was to identify it beforehand and inform the raid team.
Sniff, sniff.
Shuhan tested the air.
One particular passage carried a notably sour scent.
We should avoid this one.
Places like that were more likely to be teeming with beasts.
So he led the group through a passage that felt relatively less unpleasant.
They had reached about halfway through the corridor when—
Crunch!
A strange sound reached Shuhan’s ears.
He shouted,
“Monster ahead! Prepare for battle!”
No sooner had he spoken than two glowing points appeared at the far end of the tunnel.
No one failed to recognize them as the monster’s eyes.
Koji issued a command.
“Yuri! Attack.”
“Yes!”
With a swift motion, Yuri swung her fan.
A blade of wind shot forward with deadly force.
Boom!
It struck the monster squarely in the head.
With a violent impact, the creature let out a loud scream and collapsed.
“Graaagh!”
Yuri frowned slightly at the echoing cry that filled the cave.
“Nothing special.”
She was a wind-element mage—what she herself called a wind sorcerer. She had complete confidence in her abilities.
Handling a creature like this was as easy as flipping her hand.
“Judging by the reaction, it’s nothing more than a D-rank monster.”
“Good! Let’s push through in one go.”
“Looks like this dungeon isn’t that dangerous after all.”
At Yuri’s words, the Awakened visibly relaxed.
Someone of her level was practically a living measuring device.
From the resistance felt in her hand, she could accurately determine the monster’s rank.
If D-rank monsters inhabited this dungeon, then the dungeon’s master would be, at most, around C-rank.
A creature of that level could easily be hunted by the Awakened gathered here.
The tension faded from their faces.
Koji was the first to examine the fallen monster.
“This thing… looks like a mole.”
The creature Yuri had struck down resembled a mole.
It stood two meters tall, and from head to tail stretched over four meters—a giant mole.
At that moment, Zeon, who had remained silent, spoke.
“They’re called Hell Moles.”
“You know what this thing is?”
Koji looked at Zeon with surprise.
Zeon let out a quiet sigh before answering.
“Hell Moles are monsters with unusually strong familial bonds. If one is killed, the entire clan rushes in for revenge.”
“That much is—”
“The problem is their numbers. At minimum, they form clans of hundreds. Sometimes, thousands.”
“Hundreds… thousands?”
Koji’s brow twitched.
At that moment, Shuhan urgently shouted,
“Leader! I sense monsters everywhere.”
“What?”
“We need to move. They’re already close.”
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
Just as Koji issued the command—
Screeech!
Grrrr!
Hell Moles began emerging from all directions within the cave.
They flooded the tunnels like an ant colony, filling every passage.
The Awakened paled at the sight.
“What the—?”
“This is insane!”
The Hell Moles charged at them, radiating intense hostility toward those who had killed their kin.
Though they looked like moles, they moved with the speed of galloping beasts.
Their most dangerous weapon was their massive claws.
Claws capable of slicing through rock like tofu posed a deadly threat.
“Damn it!”
“Hold them back! If they break through, we’re all dead!”
The Awakened each took positions at different passages, blocking the advance of the Hell Moles.
Boom! Crash!
Explosions echoed through the cave.
Each Awakened unleashed their abilities.
Some swung aura-infused weapons, while others cast magic.
Their attacks brought down Hell Moles one after another, their screams filling the cavern.
But no one looked relieved.
No matter how many they killed, more kept coming.
What made Hell Moles truly terrifying was their utter lack of fear toward death.
The blood spilled by their fallen kin only fueled their madness.
Consumed by frenzy, they charged even more violently.
There was another problem.
“Damn it! There are C-ranks mixed in!”
The swarm they had assumed to be D-rank included numerous C-rank individuals.
Boom! Bang!
They pushed forward, enduring attacks with their bodies, then tore into the Awakened with their claws.
Slash!
“Aaagh!”
“Argh!”
As the Awakened fell, bleeding, the Hell Moles swarmed over them, tearing and devouring their bodies.
In moments, they disappeared into the bellies of the monsters.
More than a dozen Awakened died in the blink of an eye.
Zeon watched the scene with cold eyes.
This is why Hell Moles are such a nuisance. A battlefield that favors them, madness that fears no death, and durability that shrugs off most attacks.
That was what made swarm-type monsters so difficult.
To deal with them, one had to fully understand their nature and prepare accordingly—but they had rushed in blindly, and this was the result.
Even Zeon, standing still, became a target.
Two C-rank and three D-rank Hell Moles approached him.
A formidable group.
Screeech!
With their signature shriek, their claws slashed forward.
At that moment, intense flames erupted from Zeon’s entire body.
The blinding light forced the Hell Moles to scream.
Even with their degraded vision, they still retained some sight.
Through that moment of vulnerability, fire missiles pierced their heads.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their skulls shattered instantly.
Seeing this, Jack shouted,
“Fire! Use fire! Their eyes are weak to bright light!”
Fortunately, among the Awakened from the slums, there were a few who could use fire magic.
They were low-rank, and their power was unimpressive—but the ability to produce fire was what mattered.
Fire magic inevitably produced intense light.
That light dealt significant damage to the Hell Moles.
“Kreee!”
“Now!”
“Kill them!”
Seizing the opportunity, the Awakened slaughtered the monsters.
Koji cut down three or four Hell Moles in a single strike with his katana, while Yuri swept them away with wind magic.
Bairun rampaged like a true berserker, wielding only his axe.
Jack’s team steadily reduced their numbers as well.
But no matter how many they killed, the Hell Moles kept coming.
They needed a breakthrough.
At that moment, Shuhan shouted,
“Leader, this way!”
The passage he pointed to was packed with even more Hell Moles.
“The dungeon boss is here.”
The best way to break a swarm was to kill the boss.
Once the command structure collapsed, the monsters would scatter.
Fortunately, Shuhan had located it in time.
“Good! Everyone, move toward Shuhan’s lead!”
Koji cut through the Hell Moles blocking his path and charged forward.
Inazuma took the lead, the Awakened from the slums followed, and Jack’s team brought up the rear.
Zeon moved at the very back.
Each time he flicked his finger, a streak of fire tore through the darkness.
With every strike, another Hell Mole died.
If he truly wanted, he could wipe out this entire swarm alone in an instant.
He held back—not only because he didn’t want to reveal his full strength, but for another reason.
Something feels off.
The Awakened guarding the dungeon had claimed this was the first raid.
But the Hell Moles’ movements were far too suspicious for that to be true.
Just as humans grow stronger by fighting monsters, monsters also adapt through repeated encounters with humans.
The Hell Moles attacking them now were clearly experienced.
They’ve fought humans before.
Zeon’s gaze shifted forward.
Shuhan was leading them toward the passage where the boss awaited.