"Who dares to covet the Fang Monarch's sword?"
"Yongjun? What are you saying all of a sudden?" Strange words came out of Kim Yongjun's mouth as he gripped the sword's hilt. The leader, who had been trying to stop him, felt a sudden chill.
Swoosh.
At that moment, Kim Yongjun drew the sword.
"Who dares to covet the Fang Monarch's sword?" Kim Yongjun's eyes were red as he repeated the same words.
"Y-Yongjun? Are you okay...?"
Swish—!
"…!"
At that moment, the leader's head was severed and a fountain of blood erupted. The silence that swept through, as if time had momentarily stopped at that unbelievable scene, was fleeting.
"Wh-what the—!"
"Uaaa! Captain!" The Hunters behind him were startled and rushed forward.
"Y-Yongjun! You, why…!"
Swish—!
At that moment, another head flew.
"Yongjun…!"
Only then did they realize…
Kim Yongjun, his eyes shedding tears of blood, aimed his sword at them and started rampaging.
"Who dares to covet the Fang Monarch's sword?" In the midst of the unrealistic bloodshed, Kim Yongjun smiled wickedly.
Growl!
An eerie wolf howl began to echo around the ruins.
* * *
At that moment, Beru's eyes changed. He turned his head and stared intently into the dungeon's darkness.
[…What?]
"What's wrong?" At Suho's question, Beru opened his mouth, keeping his gaze fixed.
[I suddenly sensed a Monarch's presence.]
"A Monarch, you mean Dad?"
[No. Originally, there were many Monarch-level beings in this universe, not just the Shadow Monarch.]
Beru explained. Originally, many Monarchs existed in this universe besides your father, the Shadow Monarch, Sung Jinwoo. However, they had happened to invade Earth, the world where he resided. In the end, they all met their demise at his hands.
"Then can it still be Dad?"
[If it were, my power would have been instantly recharged. But my mana is still the same, and this energy… I'm familiar with it…]
Awooooo!
A wolf's howl echoed from somewhere. It began there, and soon, ferocious cries of beasts rang out from all directions.
Growl!
Kyaooo!
"Wh-what?"
"What's going on all of a sudden?"
The miners' faces turned pale, and they looked around anxiously.
"Kkyyyaaaaa!"
Suddenly, screams were heard, the voices of the people who had gone deeper to mine.
"Uaaaaaa! S-save me…!"
The screams were becoming more frequent and drew closer with every passing moment.
And then…
Aoooooooo!
A wolf magical beast suddenly attacked Suho from behind.
[Young Master!]
"Thanks!"
Suho thrust the pickaxe he was holding into the attacking wolf's maw.
Crunch—!
"What…?"
The wolf's teeth were so strong that the pickaxe was crushed like tofu. But it had bought him a moment
Ptfffff—!
As the wolf spat out the pickaxe, Suho ordered the Shadow Goblins.
"All of you, Attack!"
[Keruk!]
The three Shadow Goblins simultaneously charged at the wolf magical beast.
Grrrr!
But it was no use. The Shadow Goblins wielded the same mining pickaxes as Suho, and the wolf magical beast crushed them with ease. It then bit and tore into the bodies of his attackers. But…
Swoosh—!
At that moment, the mana that had left Suho's body restored the Shadow Goblins' bodies to their original state.
[Kieek! Shadow Soldiers are an immortal legion. They can be restored endlessly with the Young Master's mana!] Beru was looking rather excited as the battle began.
[Keruk!]
The instantly revived Shadow Goblins clung to the wolf's body. And mercilessly stabbed the broken pickaxe pieces into its hide.
Stab! Stab! Stab!
Keeeee!
Kiiiiii!
The wolf, which had charged in so confidently, let out a pitiful scream and rolled on the ground.
[A Steel-Fanged Lycan has been defeated.]
But that didn't mean they could let their guard down. Dozens of wolves had appeared, and they were mercilessly biting and tearing at the miners.
"Uaaaa"
"Th-these guys' teeth…!" Their pickaxes were useless in battle.
'Inventory!' Suho hurriedly took out the Goblin's Stone Axes he had stockpiled in his inventory and handed one to each of the Shadow Goblins.
[Young Master! These stone axes will also be crushed by the wolves' teeth!]
"I have plenty of axes!" Suho shouted as he threw a stone axe at a wolf that was pouncing on a miner.
Swish— Thud!
The stone axe flew in a straight line and struck the wolf's flank.
Krrrrrrrrr!
[It's not dead yet!]
'Ruler's Authority!'
At that moment, an invisible hand extended from Suho and picked up the stone axe that had fallen to the ground, then it struck the wolf's head again and again.
Crack!
Auuu…
The monster uttered a final howl and died.
[A Steel-Fanged Lycan has been defeated.]
That was just the beginning.
"Everyone, gather here!" Suho shouted loudly so that the panicked miners could all hear. To save them, he grabbed stone axes in both hands and fearlessly charged into the wolves.
[Keruk Keruk!]
His three Shadow Goblins followed behind him, raising their axes in high spirits. But the order Suho gave them was not what they expected.
"You guys don't attack, just keep provoking them!"
[Keruk?!] The Shadow Goblins were startled.
"And keep running away to lure all the wolves into that passage over there!"
[Keruk Keruk!]
He had to save people, there was no time to kill the wolves one by one. At Suho's command, the Shadow Goblins shouted and began to lure the wolves. In the process, they were constantly bitten and clawed, but they kept reviving and taunting the wolves.
Grrrr!
Auuuuu!
Eventually, most of the wolves became fixated on chasing the three Shadow Goblins. And when they were all inside a narrow passage…
"Quickly, block the hole!" At Suho's shout, the miners, who had been lying on the ground, covered in wounds, hurriedly got up.
They piled up all the carts of the mana crystals they had collected in front of the passage the wolves had entered.
"Huff, huff." Only after blocking the entrance to some extent did the miners collapse to the ground, exhausted.
"What the…? What's going on? How did magical beasts get this far?"
"What happened to the strike squad up ahead?"
Anxiety appeared on people's faces. It was rare for magical beasts to reach the mining area, far behind the attack team. There was only one possibility.
"Has the attack team been wiped out?"
"No… They were so confident when they went in, saying there were only wolves..."
"First of all this is only a D-rank dungeon."
Growl!
Kyooo!
Just then, the sounds of wolves growling came from behind the blocked passage.
"What do we do now?"
There was no guarantee that the way out was safe either.
"Beru?" Suho called out to Beru, who had been staring intently into the depths of the dungeon. He was in a serious mood.
[Young Master, I'm afraid things have gotten serious. This is indeed the aura of the Fang Monarch.]
"Fang Monarch?"
[The King of Beasts, who was killed by the Master's hand. It seems there is someone controlling those wolves from behind.]
"The one who died is back alive?"
[…I can't figure it out. The authority to revive the dead is a power only the Shadow Monarch can use in this universe. But even with the power of shadows, a Monarch-level being can not be revived. Because when they die, their astral body disappears.] So it was absurd for a vanished Monarch to come back to life.
[So, at best, this aura is likely the remnants of the Fang Monarch that have flowed into the dimensional gap.]
Having finished his explanation, Beru looked at Suho resolutely.
[Young Master, let's escape from here.]
"Escape?" Suho had a puzzled expression. It was a rarely used word for Beru, who had always shouted to fight and kill.
[I've told you many times, but right now, the Young Master's power is weaker than that of an ant larva. You're so weak that you'd die if a Monarch-level being flicks at you. We need to get out of here as soon as possible.]
"…Are you not mad that I fed you some Mana Crystals?" Suho remembered clearly. Just this morning, he was at the level of an ant larva, but now he had become even lower than that. But then…
Rumble—!
The hole they had painstakingly blocked suddenly exploded.
"Ugh! The passage is open!" The miners, who had been relieved to have barely managed to block the wolves, turned pale and grabbed their pickaxes. But despite their expectations that the wolves would pour out all at once, a familiar face walked out from inside.
"Kim Yongjun!" A miner who recognized his face called out with a bright expression. It was none other than his acquaintance who had been a part of the attack team.
"What happened…! We almost died!"
"..."
He approached cheerfully, but Kim Yongjun just stared at him expressionlessly. And the sword in his hand moved.
Swish—!
"Watch out"
Grab—!
At that moment, Suho's Ruler's Authority grabbed the miner's collar and pulled him back. Then, just barely, Kim Yongjun's sword grazed him.
Pshh.
A thin red line appeared on the miners neck, and his face turned white as he collapsed to the ground.
"Ugh?"
Looking down at him arrogantly was a red-eyed Kim Yongjun who opened his mouth. "Who dares to trespass in the Fang Monarch's sanctuary? This is a sacred place where the great King of Beasts resided."
Boom—!
"...!"
At that moment, a terrible killing intent exploded from his entire body.
"Kkuueop."
An aura so ominous that it was hard to even breathe dominated the area.
[The Effect: 'Fear' is activated.]
[All of the player's stats are reduced by 50% for 1 minute.]
At that moment, Suho's body felt heavy.
[We must escape immediately.] Beru whispered urgently.
[Keeeek. If only my power were intact, this wouldn't be a problem….] Beru muttered resentfully, looking at Suho's face, but then paused. Suho's eyes, looking at Kim Yongjun, were burning fiercely. It was then…
[A quest has arrived.]
A quest window appeared in front of Suho.
[Emergency Quest: Defeat the Enemy!]
[There is a being with murderous intent towards the 'player' nearby. Secure your safety by defeating him.]
[Number of enemies to defeat: 1]
[Number of enemies defeated: 0]
Beru spoke urgently. [Young Master! Just ignore this quest. The weak have their own way of fighting. Let's use the Shadow Goblins as shields and escape, just like before.]
"Okay…" Suho murmured softly.
Beru's eyes brightened. [I'll show you the way!]
"…I'll fight."
[Kieek?!]