Chapter 153: Chapter 153: A Strange Change in the Battle
The Orc General raised its greatsword.
The party moved before it could bring the weapon down.
"Left side!"
Mr. Choi’s command cut through the chamber.
The tank immediately shifted his shield toward the monster’s right, drawing its attention while the two A-Rank Awakeners separated. One moved toward the Orc General’s left flank, while the other circled toward its back, forcing the creature to keep track of multiple threats at once.
The B-Rank warriors followed their movements without hesitation.
They weren’t strong enough to stand directly against the Orc General for long, but that didn’t mean they were useless. Their job was to exploit the openings created by the stronger members, strike vulnerable areas, and withdraw before the monster could retaliate.
The mage remained several meters behind them.
Her hands were already surrounded by magic.
The healer stayed farther back, watching everyone carefully while preparing recovery spells in case anyone was injured.
The Orc General swung.
The tank raised his shield.
CLAAAAANG!
The impact shook his entire body.
His boots slid backward, but he managed to hold his position.
"Now!"
One of the A-Rank Awakeners rushed in.
His sword struck the Orc General’s exposed side.
SHRAK!
The blade cut through the thick skin beneath its armor.
The second A-Rank Awakener attacked from behind at almost the same moment.
His weapon struck the back of the monster’s knee.
BOOM!
The Orc General staggered.
"Push!"
The B-Rank warriors moved together.
Two attacked its legs while another struck toward its exposed shoulder, forcing the monster to turn its body away from the tank.
The mage finally released her spell.
A concentrated spear of lightning crossed the chamber.
KRAAAK!
It struck the Orc General directly in the chest.
The monster roared.
For the first time since entering the chamber, it was forced to take several steps backward.
Mr. Choi immediately recognized the opening.
"Don’t give it time to recover!"
The party advanced.
The tank drove forward behind his shield.
One A-Rank Awakener attacked high.
The other attacked low.
The B-Rank fighters filled the gaps between them, their attacks coming in quick succession before they immediately withdrew.
The Orc General blocked one strike.
Then another.
A third slipped past its defense and opened another wound across its side.
The mage followed with another spell.
The healer remained behind the formation, continuously watching the condition of every member.
The Orc General was being pushed back.
Yet it still wasn’t falling.
Ares watched silently from the rear.
They’re doing well.
The party wasn’t relying on brute force.
They were using their numbers properly, rotating their attacks and refusing to give the Orc General a clean opportunity to focus on a single target.
Even the B-Rank members were fighting exactly as they should.
The problem was the monster itself.
It’s taking all of that without showing any real decline.
Another A-Rank strike landed.
SHRAK!
Blood splashed across the stone floor.
The Orc General merely looked down at the wound.
Then it smiled.
A low, guttural sound escaped its throat.
The smile disappeared from the faces of several party members.
"Why is it smiling?"
The Orc General suddenly tightened its grip around the greatsword.
The pressure in the chamber changed.
"Everyone, move!"
Mr. Choi shouted.
The monster swung.
BOOOOOOM!
The greatsword struck the floor.
The shockwave erupted outward.
The tank was thrown several meters away despite having his shield planted firmly against the ground. Two B-Rank fighters were caught in the blast and crashed against the stone wall, while the nearest A-Rank Awakener was forced to leap backward.
The mage’s concentration broke.
The spell she had been preparing vanished.
The Orc General pulled its sword free.
The stone floor beneath the blade was deeply cracked.
"Regroup!"
Mr. Choi rushed toward the fallen tank.
"Can you stand?"
The tank pushed himself up, breathing heavily.
"My shield arm is numb."
The healer immediately moved toward him.
"Hold still."
A warm glow surrounded his arm.
The bruising beneath his armor slowly faded.
"How bad?"
"Nothing serious."
She glanced toward the other wounded members.
"Give me a moment and I’ll have everyone moving again."
The tank nodded.
"Good."
The Orc General didn’t wait for them.
It charged.
The distance disappeared almost instantly.
The remaining A-Rank Awakener stepped forward.
"You’re not getting past me."
He raised his weapon.
The greatsword descended.
CLANG!
The A-Rank Awakener’s knees bent under the pressure.
His arms trembled.
The Orc General pushed harder.
The stone beneath the Awakener’s feet began cracking.
"Help him!"
Two B-Rank warriors immediately moved in.
One attacked the Orc General’s arm.
The other struck its exposed ribs.
SHRAK!
The pressure on the A-Rank Awakener eased for a fraction of a second.
That was enough.
He twisted his weapon upward.
The greatsword was pushed aside.
"Now!"
The B-Rank warriors retreated.
The A-Rank Awakener stepped forward and delivered a full-strength strike directly into the Orc General’s chest.
BOOOOOOM!
The monster was forced backward.
But it remained standing.
The wound across its chest was deep.
Blood ran down its body.
Yet its breathing hadn’t changed.
The A-Rank Awakener stared at it.
"...That’s insane."
The Orc General raised its head.
Its eyes had changed.
The pupils had narrowed into thin vertical lines, and a faint red glow had begun spreading across the veins around them.
Ares narrowed his eyes.
There it is.
The corrupted mana inside the monster was becoming denser.
The same strange sensation he had felt earlier was now much stronger.
It’s not simply increasing its physical strength.
The Orc General’s body began to swell.
Muscle tightened beneath its armor.
The scars across its body opened slightly as dark energy flowed through them.
The monster roared.
GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
The sound shook the chamber.
The glowing crystal above them flickered.
The party instinctively stepped backward.
Mr. Choi looked toward the monster.
"Everyone, stay focused."
His voice remained firm despite the pressure filling the chamber.
One of the A-Rank Awakeners gave a grim smile.
"Not quite like this."
"No."
Mr. Choi raised his weapon.
"But that’s why we’re going to fight it with all our strength"
The tank returned to the front.
The healer finished restoring the injured members.
The mage stepped forward again, her breathing slightly heavier than before.
The B-Rank warriors gathered around the formation.
Nobody looked eager.
Nobody looked careless.
They were professionals who understood exactly how dangerous the creature standing before them was.
Mr. Choi raised his hand.
"On my command."
The Orc General lowered its body.
The party tightened their formation.
"Three."
The mage began gathering mana.
"Two."
The tank planted his shield.
"One."
The Orc General disappeared.
"NOW!"
The chamber erupted.
The tank met the monster head-on.
CLAAAAANG!
The A-Rank Awakeners attacked from both sides.
The B-Rank warriors moved between them, striking wherever an opening appeared.
The mage released her spell.
Lightning and compressed wind tore across the chamber.
The healer maintained a constant stream of support magic, strengthening the frontliners while immediately repairing minor wounds.
For several seconds, the party managed to contain the Orc General.
Then the monster changed direction.
It ignored the tank.
Its greatsword swung toward the mage.
"Watch out!"
One of the A-Rank Awakeners intercepted.
CLANG!
The impact sent him sliding across the floor.
The Orc General followed.
The second A-Rank Awakener rushed behind it and struck its back.
SHRAK!
The monster turned.
A B-Rank warrior attacked its exposed leg.
Another struck its arm.
The Orc General roared and swung its elbow.
BOOM!
Both fighters were thrown away.
"Fall back!"
Mr. Choi immediately adjusted the formation.
The party separated before the monster could follow through with another attack.
The mage continued casting from a safer distance.
The Orc General charged again.
The tank stepped forward.
"Come on!"
The greatsword descended.
The tank raised his shield.
CLAAAAANG!
The shield bent.
The tank’s feet slid backward.
But he held.
The A-Rank Awakener attacked.
The Orc General blocked.
The second A-Rank Awakener struck from behind.
The monster twisted.
The blade cut across its back.
Blood spilled.
Yet the creature still refused to slow down.
It slammed its free hand into the ground.
BOOOOOOM!
The floor erupted.
The tank was thrown upward.
Before the Orc General could follow, the mage’s spell struck its shoulder.
KRAAAAK!
The creature staggered.
The healer immediately restored the tank’s damaged arm as he landed.
"You’re still with us?"
The tank grinned despite his bruised face.
"Unfortunately."
The healer gave him an irritated look.
"Then get back in there."
He raised his shield.
"Thanks for that"
The battle continued.
Strike after strike landed against the Orc General.
The A-Rank Awakeners opened wounds that would have crippled ordinary monsters.
The B-Rank warriors constantly attacked its exposed joints and distracted it whenever it focused on the stronger fighters.
The mage’s spells repeatedly struck its body with enough force to shake the chamber, while the healer prevented the party’s injuries from becoming critical.
Ten people were fighting one monster.
Yet the monster still stood.
And slowly, the party began realizing the truth.
Their attacks were working.
They were hurting it.
But they weren’t weakening it fast enough.
The battle continued.
Minutes passed, yet the Orc General showed no sign of weakening.
A-Rank attacks tore through its armor, B-Rank weapons struck its joints whenever an opening appeared, and the mage repeatedly buried powerful spells into its body, but the damage never seemed to accumulate enough to bring it down. The healer had already treated several cuts and bruises across the party, while the tank’s shield had been battered badly enough that cracks now ran across its surface.
Even so, nobody had suffered a critical injury.
The party was simply being pushed harder and harder.
Ares watched from the rear while holding a bottle of water.
He sighed.
How troublesome.
Just watching them fight was beginning to bore him.
They were strong enough to handle an ordinary A-Rank boss, and their coordination was considerably better than he had initially expected, but against this Orc General, every attack seemed to accomplish little more than angering it.
No, it’s not that they’re weak.
Ares’ eyes narrowed.
They’re strong.
The two A-Rank Awakeners were fighting properly, the B-Rank members were doing their part without getting in the way, and the mage and healer were supporting the group exactly as they should.
But this thing is considerably stronger than it looks.
The corrupted mana surrounding the Orc General continued to pulse through its body.
Even with this many people, they won’t win without an S-Rank Awakener.
Ares looked toward Ji Won.
The young man was standing a short distance away with the other porters, watching the battle nervously.
Ares sighed again.
I suppose I’ll have to do something.
He raised one hand.
Then he flicked his finger.
Everything stopped.
The Orc General froze in the middle of its movement.
The flames of the mage’s spell stopped in midair.
Dust particles remained suspended above the ground.
Even the healer’s hand was frozen halfway through casting.
The entire chamber had become a still image.
Ares glanced around.
Nobody had noticed.
Of course they hadn’t.
He had simply paused the flow of time within the chamber.
He walked forward.
The Orc General remained motionless several meters away, its massive body covered in wounds and blood.
Ares stopped in front of it.
Hmm.
He examined the corrupted mana flowing through its body.
Perhaps I’ll take some of this.
There was no reason to kill the monster himself.
If he removed the excess power that had pushed it beyond the normal limits of an A-Rank boss, the party should be able to finish the rest.
They’ve already come this far.
Ares placed his hand against the Orc General’s chest.
Dark Eclipse energy spread from his palm.
The corrupted mana resisted at first, surging through the monster’s body like a violent current, but the resistance lasted only a moment before Ares’s power began drawing it out.
A dense stream of corrupted energy flowed into his hand.
The Orc General’s body slowly became lighter.
Not physically.
Its presence.
The overwhelming pressure that had filled the chamber began disappearing as Ares absorbed the power that had pushed the monster beyond its natural limits.
Ares continued until he was satisfied.
Then he withdrew his hand.
That should be enough.
He returned to where he had been standing beside Ji Won.
Ares looked at the frozen party.
They should be able to handle the rest now.
He flicked his finger again.
Time resumed.
The mage’s spell continued forward.
The Orc General moved.
The tank raised his shield.
The A-Rank Awakeners attacked.
Nobody noticed anything unusual.
To them, the battle had simply continued.
The mage’s spell struck the Orc General directly in the chest.
BOOOOOOM!
The monster staggered.
One of the A-Rank Awakeners immediately rushed in.
His weapon struck across its shoulder.
SHRAK!
The second A-Rank Awakener followed from the opposite side.
SHING!
The Orc General roared and attempted to retaliate.
But its movements had changed.
It was slower.
Not enough for an ordinary person to notice immediately, but enough for experienced Awakeners to recognize the difference.
Mr. Choi’s eyes sharpened.
"Don’t let up!"
The party attacked together.
The tank drove his shield forward.
The Orc General’s greatsword crashed against it.
CLAAAAANG!
But this time, the tank barely moved.
He looked surprised for a fraction of a second.
The A-Rank Awakener took advantage of the opening.
His sword cut across the Orc General’s side.
SHRAK!
Blood sprayed across the floor.
The monster staggered again.
"Now!"
The B-Rank warriors rushed in.
One struck the creature’s knee.
Another attacked its exposed ribs.
A third drove his weapon into the gap beneath its armor.
SHRAK!
The Orc General roared and swung its elbow.
The B-Rank fighter ducked beneath it.
The attack missed.
The second A-Rank Awakener stepped in.
His weapon flashed.
SHING!
A deep wound opened across the monster’s back.
The Orc General stumbled forward.
Mr. Choi immediately gave another command.
"Keep it between us! Don’t let it turn toward the mage!"
The tank moved to block its path.
The A-Rank Awakeners continued attacking from opposite sides.
The B-Rank warriors followed every opening.
Behind them, the mage released another spell.
A concentrated blast of lightning struck the Orc General’s shoulder.
KRAAAAK!
The monster dropped to one knee.
The entire party froze for a moment.
It was the first time the Orc General had been forced down.
"Don’t stop!"
Mr. Choi’s voice immediately brought them back.
The A-Rank Awakeners attacked together.
One struck the neck.
The other drove his weapon into the chest.
The Orc General raised its greatsword in a desperate attempt to defend itself.
Too slow.
The tank slammed his shield into its arm.
BOOM!
The sword was knocked aside.
"Now!"
The A-Rank Awakeners moved from the left.
His attack landed almost simultaneously.
SHRAAAAAK!
The Orc General’s head separated from its body.
For a moment, it remained standing.
Then the massive body collapsed.
DOOOOOOM!
The chamber became silent.
The party stood there, breathing heavily.
Not exhausted to the point of collapse, but drained enough that every person could feel the battle in their muscles.
The tank lowered his damaged shield.
"Finally..."
One of the A-Rank Awakeners wiped blood from his cheek.
"That was far more difficult than i expected."
The mage lowered her hands.
"I thought we’d have to keep going for another hour."
The healer immediately began checking the wounded.
"Hold still. You have a cut on your shoulder."
"Thank you."
Mr. Choi looked toward the fallen Orc General.
Something about the final exchange still bothered him.
"Did anyone else notice?"
The others looked at him.
"The monster suddenly became weaker."
One of the B-Rank warriors nodded.
"I thought I was imagining it."
"No."
The A-Rank Awakener shook his head.
"You’re right. It was noticeably different."
He looked at the corpse.
"Just a few moments ago, it was strong enough to force all of us back. Then suddenly..."
He frowned.
"It started taking serious damage."
Mr. Choi remained silent.
"Whatever happened, we’re not going to complain."
A few tired laughs followed.
The party finally relaxed.
Mr. Choi walked toward the corpse.
"Let’s get the Magic stone before the dungeon closes."
The others gathered around him.
The corpse of the Orc General was considerably different from the ordinary orcs they had encountered throughout the dungeon.
Its armor was damaged, its flesh covered in deep wounds, and faint traces of corrupted mana still clung to its body.
Mr. Choi crouched beside the chest and began extracting the magic stone.
After several moments, he finally pulled it free.
The stone was large enough to fit comfortably within both hands.
Its surface was dark red, almost black around the edges, with a dense crimson glow moving slowly through its center.
Ji Won stared at it from behind the group.
"Tae-ho."
Ares looked toward him.
"That’s an A-Rank magic stone."
Ji Won pointed toward the stone.
"Look at the color. A-Rank stones are much denser than the ones we obtained from the ordinary monsters before, and they’re usually larger as well. The stronger the monster, the more concentrated the mana inside its core."
He looked at the stone again.
"But this one is different from a normal A-Rank monster core."
"Boss monsters have considerably denser magic stones because they’ve absorbed more mana throughout their existence, and this one is even more unusual because that Orc General had been strengthened by corrupted mana."
He hesitated before smiling.
"If they sell this, I’d say they could get around fifteen million won, maybe even more depending on the buyer."
Ares raised an eyebrow.
"Fifteen million?"
"At least."
Ji Won looked at the stone again.
"A normal A-Rank monster core can already be worth several million won, but a boss core like this is much more valuable because the mana density is higher and the material quality is better."
So the boss core really is expensive.
While they were talking, the rest of the party had already begun harvesting materials from the Orc General.
The horns were carefully removed.
The tusks were collected intact.
Several sections of its hide were cut away because of their durability, while the heavy armor was inspected for any materials that could be salvaged.
Even its greatsword was examined.
Although the weapon itself was damaged from the battle, the metal contained within it was clearly valuable.
The party worked efficiently, separating everything that could potentially be sold or used by craftsmen.
The healer continued moving between them, treating the cuts and bruises they had accumulated during the battle.
"Raise your arm."
One of the B-Rank fighters obeyed.
"That’s not a serious wound."
"Stop talking."
Once the injuries had been treated and the materials secured, Mr. Choi looked around the chamber.
"We’re done here."
Nobody objected.
The group gathered their equipment, and Ares and Ji Won once again took their positions among the porters.
They made their way back through the dungeon without encountering anything that required another serious battle.
Eventually, the familiar entrance came into view.
The party stepped outside.
The moment they emerged, the difference in the air was noticeable.
The pressure of the dungeon was gone.
People waiting outside began moving toward them, while the guild personnel immediately approached to collect the recovered materials and record the results of the expedition.
A few minutes passed.
Then Ji Won suddenly looked back.
"Tae-ho."
Ares turned.
The C-Rank Gate behind them had begun to fade.
Its blue-black surface flickered several times before gradually becoming transparent.
Then—
It disappeared completely.
Ares stared at the empty space where the Gate had been.
It really disappeared just like that.
The remaining guild personnel continued their work as though there were nothing unusual about it.
Once the equipment and materials had been properly handed over, Mr. Choi approached the two porters.
"You both did a good job today."
He took out two envelopes.
"Here."
Ji Won accepted his first.
Mr. Choi handed the second to Ares.
"Three hundred and fifty thousand won each. We increased the payment because the expedition took longer."
Ji Won’s eyes widened slightly.
"Three hundred and fifty thousand?"
Mr. Choi smiled.
"You earned it."
Ji Won bowed his head.
"Thank you, Mr. Choi. This will help us quite a lot."
Ares nodded as well.
"Thank you."
Mr. Choi gave them a final nod.
"Get some rest. Thanks for your hard work."
After exchanging a few more words, the party began preparing to leave.
Ji Won adjusted the strap of his backpack and looked toward Ares.
"Let’s go."
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