The New Boss (1)

Rumble!

With a thunderous roar, the entire <Dungeon> shook as if struck by an earthquake.

The monsters flinched in surprise at the sudden burst of power.

I gathered strength in my legs and dashed forward like a beast.

I raised my leg and stomped down on the first <Kelpie> I saw.

Thud. Crack!

The <Kelpie> was crushed into a pulp on the spot, not even able to scream.

A small crater spread out from where my foot struck the ground.

The <Dominion> buff effect of [Monstrous Dominion Step].

This technique, which delivers an invisible <Shockwave> proportional to [Strength] to both legs, was a weapon in itself.

“Krr, Krrk?!”
“Hello there~”

I grabbed the nape of the nearest <Frogman>.

As I exerted strength in my grip, its neck bone shattered as easily as breaking a reed.

I then threw it like a cannonball towards the <Lizardman Warrior> charging fiercely.

Kuweek!!!

The two of them exploded together harmoniously.

‘Good…’

Now that I had warmed up, I decided it was time to get serious.

I drew the [Saint’s Sword] like a lightning bolt.
Veins bulged on the back of my hand.
The [Saint’s Sword], mixed with [Mystic Power] and [Divinity], emitted a sinister purple glow as if it would burst.

My current [Divinity] level was 20.
Adding to this was a [Magic Power] level of 38.

Chwaak! Chwajajak!
Kkeueeik! Meokururuk!

There was no need to use the [Overlord Sword Technique].
Wherever the blade touched, the bodies of the <Monsters> were sliced apart.

In less than 20 seconds, only one <Siren> was left.

It had been singing continuously from the beginning until now.

The song, which had a [Charm] effect, was a very dangerous skill, but to my ears, it was nothing more than a lullaby.

The <Status Immunity> effect from [Monstrous Dominion Step].
Even without this, I could have cut it off with [Unwavering Insight].
In any case, it didn’t work on me.

Swoosh!
With one strike, the <Siren>’s body crumbled.

I loosened up and let out a hollow laugh.

‘This is really absurd.’

All the creatures I just caught were <Monsters> rated C to B grade.

Each one wasn’t difficult, but they weren’t opponents to take lightly.

The reason this was possible was because of the rapidly inflated stats at the moment.

‘All <Lower Skills> effects are amplified by 20%. Additionally, the increase in abilities is also increased by 20%.’

A phenomenon that could only be described as overwhelming power.

Thanks to this, I could once again feel the cheating nature of [Monstrous Strength], [Monstrous Dominion Step].

“Meow! Seha, come closer!”
“…!”

Damn, the commotion must have drawn more of them.

*Slash! *
Thud, thud, thud!

I saw the <Merman Lancers> charging at us with terrifying momentum.

They were all riding <Kelpies> and activating [Lance Charging].

‘Hmm, a combination of cavalry and aquatic horses…’

While it was true that the overall stats of these <Monsters> had weakened, the number of more threatening types had increased significantly.
I should report this to Yu Neung-hae.

‘If we’re not careful, someone might get hurt from this.’

Of course, that didn’t apply to me.

Crunch!

I put strength into my lower body.
The spreading energy extended to my calves, and the muscles of my thighs visibly swelled.

Bang!

“Meow?!”
“Murkurrk?!”

Everyone, including Meowi, was astonished at how high I soared.

Bending my body, I kicked the ceiling of the <Underground Waterway> and quickly descended.

Just like that…
I forcefully struck the center of the <Merman Lancers> who had stopped in surprise.

Rumble!!!

An earthquake.

The field literally began to shake.

Unable to withstand the massive impact, the water in the channel started to twist and surge in all directions.

*Neighhh! Grrrkk!!! *

When the <Kelpie> lost its balance and fell, their mobility and destructive power drastically decreased.

The threat of the <Cavalry> comes from their one-hit-kill firepower and the speed that supports it.

‘In other words, once you subdue this, it’s nothing special.’

“Murk!”

Suddenly, among those swept away by [Monstrous Dominion Step].

A few persistent <Merman Lancers> let go of their spears and puffed up their mouths.

With a bubbling sound, water bullets were fired with a whoosh.

It was [Water Shot], a derivative skill of [Stream Water].

“Oh, are they counterattacking in the meantime?”

Side note: I realized this a little late.

It was only natural, as I mentioned again, that I currently had [Unprecedented Sense] turned off.

―Cadet Yu Seha. As Senior Im Hyeja told me, I also noticed that you rely too much on skills.
―Uh, yeah…

was an observation I couldn’t help but agree with.

In reality, I couldn’t detect Peng Jin-ah, who was cloaked in [Hermes’s Cloak].

Even thinking about it again, it was a stroke of luck.

If it had been an enemy instead of her…

‘It would have been fatal.’

I tried my best not to rely on it…
Unknowingly, I must have leaned on its convenience.

Indeed, looking back, I assessed almost all dangers with [Unprecedented Sense].

Even if it was an ability reliant on my senses, an ability was still an ability.

If there was a [Nullification] function, I couldn’t detect it.

In this state, against a determined opponent, I could only be helplessly overwhelmed, according to Peng Jin-ah.

I also agreed with that.

Therefore, like now, I thought of cultivating my judgment and clear intuition without relying on the <Detection> ability.

[Unprecedented Sense] and my intuition.

If the two, once developed, could be combined…
I thought they might elevate me to the next level.

‘Hmm.’

A moment of contemplation.

In the end, I just stood still, staring at the incoming [Water Shot].

Bang! It hit right between my brows.

“Mugh!”

The triumphant cries of the <Merman Lancers> quickly turned into shock.

It must have been because I remained completely unscathed.

‘It’s ticklish, so ticklish.’

Epic Skill, [Tsunami of the Rising Dragon].
The powerful authority of the sea dragon that I obtained this time did not merely grant the ability to manipulate water.

It also gave me resistance to <Water and Ice>, starting at a substantial level of 5. This was enough to render their attacks completely ineffective.

This was not the only thing.

[High Pure Bone Density], [Endurance Pain Resistance].

[Strong Endurance], which had already reached level 6.

Finally, the 20% performance boost provided by [Monstrous Strength] rounded out my defenses.

‘And there’s one more thing here.’

It wasn’t just skills.
Finally, I get to use the power of items.

With a smile, I looked at the blue leather armor I was wearing.

Just last night.
It was a freshly received item from Hyeja noona.

It was given along with Meowi’s shield.

Its performance was considered top-tier, even among ‘rare-grade’ items.

Its intrinsic durability increase and water attribute defense amplification were good, but the most surprising feature was the <Recovery Function>.

‘With this, I can use it for quite a long time.’

It was a moment when the 300 million spent on production costs didn’t feel wasted.

After slaughtering the remaining <Merman Lancers>.
Without a moment’s rest, sounds were heard.

It seemed I had drawn too much aggro.
The ones downstairs were also gathering.

‘Good.’

There was still time left for [Monstrous Dominion Step].

I stomped my foot again towards the oncoming ones to unleash overwhelming power—

Rustle.
Swish.

“…Huh?”

At that moment.

I suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion and involuntarily kneeled.

Startled and flustered, the cat that was baking bread in the corner dashed over like lightning.

Using all four legs to leap, she genuinely looked like a real cat.

Swoosh!

“Meow. I’ll protect you, Seha!”

With those words, her [Unstoppable Roar] spread across the battlefield, followed seamlessly by her [Playful Cat] skill.

The eyes of the charging monsters grew dull, and they began to weakly batter the shield.

Meowi, who blocked everything like an iron wall, whispered reassuringly.

“Meow, Seha! Recover your mana right now!”

At those words, I realized my condition belatedly.

‘Crazy…’

I only maintained it for about 5 minutes…
And all that mana was drained in an instant?

While Meowi was buying time, I hurriedly drank a potion.

Feeling the mana surge, I immediately beheaded the <Merman Warrior>.

“Thank you, Meowi!”
“Meow~”

5 minutes later.

After clearing all the monsters, we continued moving forward.

While walking, I reviewed the recent battle.

‘…I shouldn’t just fire indiscriminately.’

Upon checking the log, [Monstrous Strength] itself was fine.
But the moment I used [Monstrous Dominion Step], it started consuming mana at a terrifying rate.

It seemed I should use it as a sort of hidden card.

‘Still, at this level…’

I could probably clear the <Dungeon> on my own safely…

“Meow~ Seha is practically a one-man party now?”
“Indeed.”

Was it because she read what I was vaguely thinking?
Meowi turned around with a bright smile.
Of course, I had long since explained to her about [Monstrous Strength].

‘She was so astonished…’

Her reaction was even more intense than when I first told her about the [Eyes of Reversed Heaven].

According to her, while obtaining items was one thing, combining abilities to create higher-tier powers was unprecedented.

‘…I’m getting stronger.’

The increasing variety of skills.

The movement speed skills that support quick mobility.
The tanking ability of the vanguard.
The ability to enhance the efficiency of excellent physical attacks.
The powerful attack skills that could overturn the battle dynamics.
And supportive abilities like [Rapid Healing].

A party progressing with a 5-person system.

It was proof that I could carry out the roles assigned to each individual by myself without any compromise.

‘Although, I haven’t tried using [Tsunami of the Rising Dragon]…’

It couldn’t be helped since all the creatures here had [Underwater Breathing].

They would obviously thrive like fish in water, so it wouldn’t be helpful at all.

With that regret, after taking a brief moment to reorganize.

Meowi and I opened the door to the Boss Room.

We returned to the gimmick-type [Boss Room] where we had to defeat a total of 45 <Frogmen>.

“…Huh?”
“Meowi?”

An <Information Window> I had never seen before.

The structure of the room had completely changed.

Originally, it was a field composed of damp stones with a small stream flowing through it…

Right now, it was a sea of fire with flames surging everywhere.

And standing majestically in the center…
A <Lizardman> with a mane made of fire waving splendidly…?

‘…Huh?’

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a Lizardman.

It was similar to being a bipedal reptile, but…

That…

“Meow? Crocodile?”

That’s right.

As Meowi said, a bipedal monster with a crocodile’s face stood there, holding a long spear.

“…It’s not a group of <Frogmen>?”

I muttered absentmindedly.

In the [Boss Room] that had reappeared…

There was a boss of a completely different kind.