Chapter 205: Chapter 206: The A-Rank Dungeon’s Trap
Once the last Troll collapsed, the party remained alert for several seconds before Hyuk-soo finally lowered his sword.
The immediate danger had passed.
The others began collecting the Trolls’ magic stones and checking the surrounding corridors, while the healers treated the minor injuries that had accumulated during the battle.
Everything appeared to have returned to normal.
At least, that was what it looked like.
As they continued deeper into the dungeon, however, one of the B-Rank Warriors suddenly slowed down.
"Something doesn’t seem right."
Hyuk-soo looked toward him.
"What is it?"
The Warrior glanced toward the corpses behind them.
"According to the information we received, the ordinary Trolls inside this dungeon should be around B-Rank."
He tightened his grip around his weapon.
"But every Troll we’ve encountered so far has been considerably stronger than that. Their physical strength, mana density, and defensive abilities are all consistent with A-Rank monsters."
The party became quiet.
Another member nodded.
"I noticed the same thing."
He looked toward Hyuk-soo.
"Could the information we received have been wrong from the beginning?"
Hyuk-soo remained silent for a moment.
He looked toward the dark corridor ahead.
"That is possible."
His expression became serious.
"But we can’t waste time speculating about it."
He turned toward the party.
"Whatever the reason is, we already know what we’re dealing with. If these monsters are stronger than expected, then we’ll simply have to adjust accordingly."
One of the A-Rank Awakeners frowned.
"Shouldn’t we report the discrepancy before continuing?"
"We can report it after we clear the dungeon."
Hyuk-soo’s voice remained firm.
"Right now, our priority is reaching the boss and eliminating it before the Gate reaches its critical stability threshold."
He looked toward the others.
"If this A-Rank dungeon collapses, the monsters inside won’t remain contained. They could escape into the surrounding cities, and if enough of them get through, the casualties could be enormous."
He paused.
"Not only Seoul. The surrounding regions of Korea could be affected as well."
The party members exchanged serious looks.
Hyuk-soo tightened his grip around his sword.
"We knew this expedition was dangerous when we accepted it."
He looked toward the corridor ahead.
"So let’s finish it together."
The others nodded.
"Yeah."
"We’ll do it together."
"Let’s clear this dungeon."
Ares remained near the rear, quietly listening.
’They finally understand the situation.’
’Even with the information being wrong, they’re not allowing uncertainty to disrupt the operation.’
He glanced toward the deeper section of the dungeon.
’That’s probably the correct decision.’
The party continued.
---
Another hour passed.
They moved through several enormous chambers and long corridors, but strangely, the number of monsters gradually decreased.
Eventually, they stopped encountering them altogether.
No footsteps echoed through the darkness.
No roars came from distant corridors.
There wasn’t even the sound of movement.
The silence became increasingly unnatural.
Ji Won looked around.
"We haven’t encountered anything for quite a while."
One of the B-Rank members nodded.
"You’re right."
The Scout returned from ahead.
"There are no monsters in the surrounding corridors."
Hyuk-soo frowned.
"Then stay alert."
The party continued forward.
Eventually, the corridor opened into something completely different.
Everyone stopped.
A massive circular chamber stretched before them.
It resembled an underground arena.
The floor was constructed from smooth black stone, while enormous walls rose around the circumference of the chamber. Several large doors were positioned evenly around the walls, each one separated from the next by several meters.
There were more than a dozen of them.
Perhaps twenty.
The doors themselves were enormous, reaching several meters above the ground.
No markings identified them.
No signs indicated where they led.
They simply stood there.
The temperature inside the chamber was noticeably lower than the rest of the dungeon.
A faint chill passed through the air.
Ji Won rubbed his arms.
"It’s cold."
One of the Mages looked around.
"Why would the temperature suddenly drop like this?"
Nobody answered.
The party slowly moved toward the center of the arena.
Every step echoed across the enormous chamber.
Ares walked among them.
His expression remained calm.
But his senses had already expanded.
’There you are.’
His eyes moved across the doors.
’More than fifty.’
He could feel them.
The Trolls weren’t outside.
They were behind the doors.
More than fifty Trolls were waiting on the other side of the enormous entrances, each one remaining completely silent as though they had been ordered not to move.
Ares narrowed his eyes.
’They’re waiting for us to enter the center.’
He looked toward the party.
’They aren’t wandering around randomly.’
The pieces became obvious.
The empty corridors.
The absence of monsters.
The arena.
The doors.
’They’re preparing to surround us.’
Ares glanced toward the dozens of doors.
’They’re waiting until everyone reaches the center before opening them.’
He sighed internally.
’It can’t be helped.’
There was no realistic way to explain what he had sensed without revealing the extent of his perception.
And if he warned the party now, they would inevitably ask how he knew.
That would create more questions than answers.
Nobody noticed.
A faint layer of invisible magic spread across the entire arena.
It was so subtle that even the most sensitive Awakeners wouldn’t immediately notice its presence.
The spell didn’t attack anyone.
It simply altered the conditions surrounding the monsters.
Their muscles became heavier.
Their mana circulation became less efficient.
Their reaction speed decreased.
Their physical strength was suppressed.
Even the amount of force they could exert through their bodies was reduced.
The effect was simple.
It cut their overall combat strength by roughly half.
’That should take care of the problem.’
Ares lowered his hand.
The spell remained completely invisible.
No one in the party noticed anything.
Hyuk-soo looked around the chamber.
"Stay together."
The party tightened their formation.
The Tank remained near the front.
The A-Rank fighters positioned themselves around the center.
The B-Rank members covered the spaces between them.
The Mages moved toward the protected center.
Ji Won remained with the rear support group.
Ares stood beside him.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then—
CLANG.
One of the enormous doors opened.
Everyone turned.
Another door opened.
GRRRRRR...
Then another.
And another.
Within moments, the entire arena was filled with the sound of massive doors being opened simultaneously.
Ji Won’s face went pale.
"What..."
The first Troll stepped through.
Then another.
Then another.
Then another.
The party stared.
More Trolls emerged from every direction.
Ten.
Twenty.
Thirty.
The numbers continued increasing.
The enormous chamber gradually filled with gray-green bodies.
Weapons were raised.
Clubs.
Axes.
Hammers.
Crude swords.
More than fifty Trolls eventually emerged from the doors.
They spread outward.
The party had been completely surrounded.
Ji Won’s breathing became heavier.
"More than fifty..."
One of the B-Rank Warriors gritted his teeth.
"There’s too many."
Another looked around.
"We’re surrounded."
The Trolls continued advancing.
Their footsteps shook the arena.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
The frontliners tightened their grips.
The Mages prepared their spells.
The Supporters immediately began strengthening the party.
The Healer stepped toward the center.
Hyuk-soo raised his sword.
"Everyone, stay calm!"
His voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"Do not break formation!"
The Trolls roared.
The entire arena shook.
"Don’t panic!"
Hyuk-soo continued.
"If we lose formation, they’ll overwhelm us individually."
He looked toward the Tank.
"Kang-ho, hold the front."
"Understood."
"Nam, Min-jae, cover both sides."
"Got it."
"Seok-jin, stay between them and intercept anything that breaks through."
"Understood."
Hyuk-soo turned toward the Mages.
"Keep your attacks controlled. Don’t waste mana."
The Mages nodded.
"Understood."
His gaze then moved toward Ares and Ji Won.
"You two stay in the center with the Mages and Supporters."
Ji Won immediately nodded.
"Understood."
Ares simply remained calm.
Hyuk-soo raised his sword.
"Everyone, remember what I said."
The Trolls began charging.
"Stay together."
The distance disappeared.
"Protect each other."
The first Troll reached the frontline.
"Now!"
The party attacked.
The result was immediate.
Kang-ho’s shield slammed into the first Troll.
DOOOOOOM!
The creature was thrown backward far more violently than expected.
Kang-ho stared for a fraction of a second.
"That worked?"
Nam Tae-jin immediately struck another Troll.
His fist connected with its chest.
BOOM!
The Troll was launched several meters away.
Nam’s eyes widened.
"That’s much easier."
Min-jae attacked from the opposite side.
His strike landed against a Troll’s knee.
CRACK!
The creature collapsed.
Seok-jin’s spear followed.
SHRAK!
Another fell.
The Mages released their spells.
Fire exploded across one side of the arena.
BOOOOOOM!
Several Trolls were thrown backward.
Ice spread across another group.
KRAAAK!
The frozen Trolls shattered beneath the next attack.
Lightning tore through the center.
KRAAAK!
Three Trolls collapsed almost simultaneously.
The party members stared.
The monsters were still powerful.
But something had changed.
Their attacks were landing far more effectively than before.
Hyuk-soo immediately recognized the opportunity.
"Don’t question it! Keep attacking!"
The party responded.
The Tank pushed forward.
The A-Rank fighters struck through the openings.
The B-Rank warriors followed behind them, attacking weakened Trolls before retreating into the formation.
The Mages continued their bombardment.
The Supporter maintained the enhancement field.
The Healer moved between the frontliners, treating injuries before they became serious.
The Trolls attempted to push through.
They couldn’t.
One charged Kang-ho.
The Tank raised his shield.
CLANG!
The Troll’s club struck.
Kang-ho barely moved.
He immediately slammed his shield forward.
BOOM!
The Troll flew backward.
Nam attacked another.
BAAM!
Min-jae struck its leg.
SHRAK!
Seok-jin’s spear pierced its shoulder.
SHING!
The Troll collapsed.
"Keep going!"
Hyuk-soo shouted.
The battle became one-sided.
The Trolls were still numerous, but the invisible suppression surrounding them had reduced their strength to the point where the Titan Guild party could overwhelm them individually.
A-Rank fighters were cutting through their defenses.
B-Rank warriors were finishing wounded targets.
The Mages were destroying groups at once.
The Supporter kept everyone’s strength elevated.
And the Healer ensured that the party could continue fighting without accumulating serious injuries.
Within minutes, the number of Trolls had dropped dramatically.
Ten.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Then fewer.
The arena gradually became covered with fallen monsters.
Hyuk-soo stepped forward.
"Don’t let the remaining ones escape!"
The last group attempted to retreat toward the doors.
Soo-ah raised her hand.
"Frost Wall."
A massive wall of ice appeared across the nearest exit.
The Trolls slammed into it.
BOOM!
They stumbled backward.
Ha-rin immediately released a lightning strike.
KRAAAK!
The remaining Trolls collapsed.
Silence returned.
The party stood in the center of the arena, breathing heavily.
The battle had been intense.
But it had not been as difficult as anyone had expected.
Kang-ho lowered his shield.
"That was..."
He looked at the battlefield.
"Much easier than I thought it would be."
Nam Tae-jin wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Yeah."
He looked toward his fist.
"Those Trolls were definitely strong when we first encountered them."
Min-jae nodded.
"But these ones..."
He looked at the fallen monsters.
"They were considerably weaker."
Hyuk-soo frowned.
He glanced around the arena.
"I noticed it too."
He looked toward the doors.
"Whatever changed, it happened after they entered the chamber."
The party remained silent.
Ares stood quietly among them.
’Exactly as I expected.’
’Once their strength was reduced, the difference between the party and these Trolls became overwhelming.’
He looked toward the remaining doors.
’The real problem is still ahead.’
Ares narrowed his eyes.
’The Troll King.’
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