The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 207: Chapter 208: The Gate’s Abnormality

The chamber remained silent.

The Troll King continued standing at the center of the enormous room, surrounded by hundreds of High Trolls whose oppressive mana filled every corner of the chamber.

Nobody moved.

Nobody dared to.

The pressure alone was enough to make several members of the Titan Guild struggle to breathe properly.

Jang Hyuk-soo slowly tightened his grip around his weapon.

His expression remained serious, but the fear in his eyes was impossible to completely conceal.

"We can’t remain here forever."

One of the A-Rank Awakeners looked toward him.

"You’re suggesting that we attack?"

Hyuk-soo nodded.

"We have no other option."

He pointed toward the Troll King.

"The dungeon has already deviated from every report we’ve received. We don’t know how long this situation will remain stable, and if the Gate reaches its critical point while we’re still inside, these monsters could escape into South Korea."

The room remained quiet.

Hyuk-soo continued.

"The only confirmed way to reopen the exit is to defeat the dungeon boss."

One of the B-Rank warriors swallowed.

"And you believe we can actually kill that thing?"

Hyuk-soo looked toward the Troll King.

His expression became grim.

"I believe we have to try."

Another A-Rank Awakener shook his head.

"That isn’t the same thing."

"I know."

Hyuk-soo didn’t deny it.

"But if we don’t fight, we die here anyway."

He looked across the party.

"The door is sealed. The Trolls are blocking every route, and there is no indication that the chamber will open again on its own."

He paused.

"So our objective is simple."

His gaze settled on the Troll King.

"We eliminate the boss."

One of the Mages slowly nodded.

"If the boss dies, the dungeon should begin collapsing and the original exit should reappear."

"That’s what the records indicate."

Hyuk-soo nodded.

"We don’t need to eliminate every Troll in this chamber. We only need to create an opening large enough to reach the boss."

A B-Rank Warrior looked toward the hundreds of High Trolls surrounding them.

"And how exactly are we supposed to reach it?"

Nobody answered.

The High Trolls stood between them and the Troll King like an enormous living wall.

Their bodies were larger and more powerful than the Trolls they had fought earlier, and their combined mana pressure made it difficult to even think clearly.

Hyuk-soo eventually turned toward Ji Won.

"Han Ji Won."

Ji Won immediately looked at him.

"Yes?"

"You’ve been fighting alongside us since the beginning."

Hyuk-soo’s eyes remained serious.

"We need your assistance."

Ji Won hesitated.

"Me?"

"Yes."

The Raid Leader looked toward him.

"I understand that you’re technically classified as A-Rank, but we’ve already seen your combat ability. You may be able to create openings that the rest of us can’t."

Ji Won tightened his grip around his dagger.

"I’ll help."

Hyuk-soo nodded.

"Good."

He turned toward the rest of the party.

"We’ll concentrate our attacks on one side of the formation and force the High Trolls away from the center."

The A-Rank Tank raised his shield.

"The moment we create an opening, the strongest members will push forward."

The Mage nodded.

"Then we focus everything on the Troll King."

"Exactly."

Hyuk-soo looked toward the massive creature.

"We don’t waste attacks on anything else unless it directly prevents us from reaching the boss."

Everyone prepared themselves.

Weapons were raised.

Mana began gathering.

The healers prepared their support magic.

Ji Won stood near the center of the formation.

Ares remained beside him.

Ji Won looked toward the Troll King.

The creature hadn’t moved.

It was still smiling.

Its enormous body radiated an aura so powerful that Ji Won’s legs almost felt weak beneath him.

He swallowed.

"Tae-ho..."

Ares looked toward him.

"Hm?"

Ji Won lowered his voice.

"Are you really sure we can do this?"

Ares glanced toward the Troll King.

Then toward the hundreds of High Trolls surrounding it.

"We’ll be fine."

Ji Won nodded.

He wanted to believe him.

More importantly, he had already decided that he would trust him.

Hyuk-soo raised his weapon.

"Everyone."

The party immediately focused on him.

He pointed toward the Troll King.

"We only need to reach that one."

The party members nodded.

Hyuk-soo took a deep breath.

"On my command."

The High Trolls continued watching them.

Their expressions remained strangely calm.

Some were smiling.

Others were slowly cracking their knuckles.

The Troll King remained at the center.

Waiting.

Hyuk-soo raised his weapon.

"Now!"

The Titan Guild attacked.

The Tank moved first.

His shield slammed into the nearest High Troll.

BOOOOOOM!

The creature staggered.

The A-Rank Warriors attacked immediately from both sides.

SHRAK!

SHING!

Their weapons struck the High Troll’s body.

The creature barely moved.

Another High Troll rushed forward.

The B-Rank Warriors intercepted it.

The Mages released their spells.

Fire and lightning tore through the chamber.

Ice spread across the floor.

The party pushed forward.

But the High Trolls did not break.

There were simply too many.

Every time one was pushed aside, another replaced it.

Every time the party created an opening, another High Troll immediately filled it.

Hyuk-soo’s expression became increasingly tense.

"Keep moving!"

The Tank pushed forward.

"There’s no space!"

"Make one!"

The Tank slammed his shield into another High Troll.

DOOOOOOM!

The creature was forced backward.

Two more immediately stepped into the gap.

The A-Rank Warrior struck.

SHRAK!

The first High Troll staggered.

The second attacked.

CLANG!

The Warrior blocked.

The third came from the side.

The Tank intercepted.

The chamber became a chaotic mass of weapons, magic, and enormous bodies.

Ji Won tried to advance.

He struck one High Troll.

SHRAK!

The creature barely reacted.

Another swung at him.

Ji Won dodged.

A third blocked his path.

He attacked again.

Nothing.

The High Trolls were simply too strong.

Even with the Crimson Oath Ring, even after reaching A-Rank, Ji Won could feel the difference.

’This isn’t an ordinary A-Rank monster.’

He gritted his teeth.

’How are we supposed to get through hundreds of these?’

Ares remained beside him.

Calm.

Unmoved.

Watching.

Ji Won looked at him.

"Tae-ho!"

Ares turned.

"We’re not getting through."

Ares glanced toward the Troll King.

"I know."

"Then what do we do?"

Ares remained silent for a moment.

The High Trolls were surrounding them from every direction.

Their combined aura was overwhelming.

Even the five A-Rank members were struggling.

The situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.

Yet Ares still looked completely calm.

"Keep fighting."

Ji Won stared at him.

"That’s it?"

"For now."

Ares looked toward the Troll King.

"We’ll see what happens."

Ji Won swallowed.

Then nodded.

"Alright."

The Titan Guild continued attacking.

But the truth was becoming impossible to ignore.

They were fighting with everything they had.

And it wasn’t enough.

The High Trolls were too numerous.

The Troll King was too powerful.

And the paths toward the center were completely blocked.

Even if the party used every ounce of strength they possessed, reaching the boss would be nearly impossible.

And none of them yet understood just how far beyond their own limits the Troll King truly was.

---

Outside the Dungeon

Director Han Seung-ho stood several dozen meters away from the A-Rank Gate.

Seung-ho stood beside his assistant, quietly watching the Gate.

"Any change in the readings?"

The assistant checked the monitoring device in his hands.

"Nothing unusual, Director. The Gate remains stable."

Seung-ho nodded.

"Continue monitoring."

"Yes."

For several minutes, nothing happened.

The Gate remained exactly as it had been since the Titan Guild entered.

Then—

TZZZT...

Seung-ho’s eyes narrowed.

A faint blue-white spark appeared across the surface of the Gate.

The assistant immediately noticed it as well.

"Director?"

Another current traveled across the Gate.

TZZZT!

Seung-ho stepped closer.

"That’s new."

The assistant looked down at the monitoring device.

"The electrical discharge wasn’t present in the previous readings."

Seung-ho continued toward the Gate.

"Let’s take a closer look."

The assistant followed him.

"Should we call the research team?"

"Not yet."

Seung-ho stopped several meters from the Gate and studied the surface.

The faint electricity continued moving across it.

There was no obvious fluctuation in the Gate’s appearance, yet something about the energy felt wrong.

Seung-ho slowly raised his hand.

"Director..."

"I know."

He extended his fingers toward the Gate.

The instant his hand touched the surface—

BOOOOOOM!

A violent force erupted from the Gate.

Seung-ho’s body was thrown backward several meters.

"Director!"

His assistant immediately rushed toward him.

Seung-ho caught himself and landed on his feet.

He slowly looked at his hand.

A faint tingling sensation remained across his fingers.

"What happened?"

The assistant stared at the Gate.

"I... don’t know."

Seung-ho narrowed his eyes.

"The Gate rejected me."

"Rejected you?"

"Yes."

He looked toward the surface again.

"But that wasn’t normal resistance."

The assistant’s expression became serious.

"What do you mean?"

"It felt as though something was preventing the connection."

He lowered his hand.

"Bring the dimensional analysis device."

"Right away."

The assistant immediately contacted the research team.

Several minutes later, technicians arrived carrying a reinforced dimensional analyzer.

They positioned the device several meters from the Gate and activated it.

VMMMMMMMM...

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