Northward (4)

“Save your stamina. They aren’t the kind of guys who’ll be able to use their strength for long anyway.”

Kang-hoo strode forward and gestured behind him, signaling that there was no need to add extra firepower.

Ayane, who had been raising her mana-shot pistol, immediately became unemployed, and Park Dong-jae prepared to add buffs.

Because no matter what action Kang-hoo was preparing, there was a need to maximize its firepower.

Otherwise, just standing there blankly and watching would be dereliction of duty as a buffer. His pride would not allow it.

Ayane took out a telescope.

Naturally, she had no intention of being satisfied with doing nothing.

She needed to examine Kang-hoo’s attack repertoire, which felt new every time she saw it, a bit more closely.

A novice only thought about what they had to do, and an intermediate thought about how far they could support.

An expert…… judged what everyone other than themselves could do. Then the previous worries would naturally be resolved.

Ayane had never thought of herself as being in the ranks of experts, but she wanted at least her actions to be that way.

Only if she could roughly estimate the direction of what Kang-hoo would choose at every moment could their coordination become more certain.

If until now she had only focused on whether she could kill monsters well, now she wanted to advance one step further.

Right then.

Kang-hoo, who had linked Veil of Technique, Shadowless, Stealth, and the like as he entered the center of the monkey swarm, stopped.

Even though a human whose very basic nature should have felt alien was nearby, the monkeys did not notice him.

If they were guys inside a dungeon of this level, even if they could not fully detect Stealth, some of them should at least be able to sense it.

However, they could not find Kang-hoo at all after he suddenly disappeared from sight along with his skills.

It was the same for Ayane and Park Dong-jae, who were watching, so they could only look as if they were estimating the position where Kang-hoo might be.

The choice was Thunderstrike Tremor.

Naturally, he had something to rely on.

It was a skill he had obtained after clearing the Cheongmyeong Detention Center dungeon, by synthesizing acquired skills using the Window of Creation.

It was a passive skill that greatly amplified the firepower of Thunderstrike Tremor, which Kang-hoo had found slightly lacking.

If not for the maximum proficiency effect, it would have ended at a 1.2-times amplification, but thanks to Dimension Plunderer, the concern disappeared.

Crackle! Crackle-crackle! Crackle!

Kiyot! Kiooot!

The monkeys reacted to Kang-hoo, whose Stealth naturally broke along with the use of the skill.

Soon, their eyes violently burst with red light as if they were going berserk, and they began moving to attack Kang-hoo.

However, by that point, Thunderstrike Tremor had already finished constructing its formation and was pouring lightning from the air.

The scariest point of Thunderstrike Tremor was that the caster himself remained perfectly fine amid the currents raining down from all directions.

In the original story, this was collectively referred to as “caster immunity.” No matter how powerful a skill was, it could not affect the caster himself.

The next moment.

Swoosh! Swoooosh!

The monkeys fearlessly entered the Thunderstrike Tremor.

Since Kang-hoo inside was fine, they seemed to think it might just be a flashy deception skill.

Of course, besides that, the fact that Thunderstrike Tremor’s area had already been broadly established also played a part.

Crackle!

Eek? Eeek!

Soon, the monkey’s expression changed instantly when it was exposed to the mercilessly pouring currents.

As electricity began striking its body here and there, it immediately started burning, and the shock began accumulating.

The speed was far faster than expected, and its body began reacting like popcorn kernels placed in a microwave.

Booom! Sbooooom……!

It was death by explosion.

Without even having the leisure to thrust their sharp claws at Kang-hoo once, monkeys exploded from every direction.

Kang-hoo, who had set up Thunderstrike Tremor, stood holding a dagger just in case, but there was no chance to swing it.

The Thunderstrike Tremor with an eight-meter radius drove every living creature inside it other than Kang-hoo to the afterlife.

Ayane and Park Dong-jae, who were watching, both let out a hollow “ha” laugh at the same time, as if they had made an appointment.

It was a scene where words were unnecessary.

Every skill Kang-hoo possessed was always powerful in each of its effects, as if the proficiency was at maximum.

Was that possible?

Even with a main skill, reaching maximum proficiency required several years of effort.

Yet Kang-hoo’s every skill produced terrifying efficiency to a strange degree.

“Dong-jae. Do you think Kang-hoo might have some kind of skill that automatically maxes out proficiency?”

“Noona, I did think that too. But wouldn’t that be way too broken? The problem is, it’s not just maximum proficiency.”

“What else is there?”

“Kang-hoo hyung has an incredible number of skills he can use. What I’ve been seriously thinking lately is this. Kang-hoo hyung might have…….”

“Yeah.”

“An ability to create skills. Like, he can just make whatever skill he wants?”

“……That sounds plausible.”

The two, who had watched Kang-hoo for quite a long time from the closest position, were guessing Kang-hoo’s ability.

They were barking up the wrong tree, but the direction was similar. Kang-hoo could obtain skills through abnormal methods.

It sent chills down their spines.

If Park Dong-jae’s guess was true, it would probably be a uniqueness that could not be found in any hunter’s history.

Because even the two of them, who had heard heroic tales of quite a few named hunters so far, had never heard of such an “irregular.”

If the monkeys had been quick to judge superiority and inferiority, they would have finished judging when their kin died earlier.

Kieeek! Kiek!

The ones that had already been set in motion were rushing toward Kang-hoo, and there was no way out.

And so, Ayane and Park Dong-jae watched their fill of moths throwing themselves into the fire with their arms crossed.

Then, after a very brief moment passed.

In the place where Thunderstrike Tremor had swept through, nothing remained except the thick and disgusting animal stench of monkeys.

Yes, it was annihilation.

Thanks to the unexpected large-scale massacre, Kang-hoo’s level rose to 498.

They had already arrived at the middle boss section. The clearing process was smooth without obstruction, and there was nothing that could be called a crisis.

Since they had not yet reached the location where the dungeon was affected by the Extreme Period, the internal structure was no different from what he already knew.

Park Dong-jae pretended to shudder when he saw the middle boss’s name clearly displayed on the information window.

“The middle boss does look kind of scary.”

“Isn’t that too broken? Can it really hold a sword way bigger than itself in one hand?”

“Noona, if you put it that way, there’s someone truly broken right in front of us. The world was always unfair.”

“…….”

Park Dong-jae’s words found the basis for “broken” far too naturally. Somehow, it made one nod.

When Ayane only opened and closed her mouth, unable to find anything to refute with, Park Dong-jae grinned.

Meanwhile, Kang-hoo examined Aikan’s appearance overall.

The greatsword in its left hand.

Even by rough estimation, the sword’s length easily exceeded three meters.

Aikan itself was a huge figure over two meters tall, yet it held a sword longer than even that.

This guy’s specialties were sword wind and sword energy, which it freely utilized.

It also had the characteristic of using extremely troublesome pattern play. Its appearance looked exactly like a Death Knight.

In the original story, the reason Aikan had been described as “crappy” was because of its conditional enhancement structure.

Whenever the target it had designated dodged an attack, an acceleration buff was applied permanently each time.

So Aikan’s attacks had to be blocked or directly clashed against, not evaded.

Otherwise, later on, it would enter an acceleration state at a level impossible to handle, and one would die a sudden, screaming death without even being able to follow its movements.

That was why he remembered the part that had been mentioned briefly but intensely in the original story.

The core of the strategy was therefore to face it. It was also important to cleverly draw out its pattern play.

Their team coordination had already been arranged.

Mumyeong, who had been summoned earlier, was positioned at the farthest distance from Aikan.

A servant that could play a similar role without needing to directly place a hunter there. It was truly reassuring.

“Everyone ready?”

“Ready.”

“Okay.”

“Going.”

After confirming Ayane and Park Dong-jae’s standby status, Kang-hoo immediately charged toward Aikan.

He did not forget to consume Mad Solarkium, whose previous drug effect had already ended. The rest had lasted until just now.

Park Dong-jae opened the first attack, provoking Aikan.

Using the power of his constellation, “Descent of Dark Heaven,” he made Dark Heaven Demonic Formation follow Aikan around.

Originally, Dark Heaven Demonic Formation caused “absolute blindness” in the target, but it only caused “partial blindness” in Aikan.

It was because of the boss’s unique judgment, which conditionally overrode absolute judgment.

Aikan had a “reduction” effect, where abnormal statuses that worked against it only applied by half.

Krrgh!

The moment Aikan, who had realized there was a problem with its vision, tried to use its own buff skill to raise its mobility even higher.

Park Dong-jae applied Draw, a skill that equally suppressed the use of buff skills for himself and Aikan.

Unlike human hunters who could use buff skills at any time, dungeon boss monsters followed a systemic flow.

In other words, they performed special actions at certain fixed points. It was no different from a kind of artificial intelligence AI.

So merely suppressing buff “pattern play” in this way could produce a great effect.

Fshh…….

The acceleration buff Aikan had tried to apply to itself scattered emptily.

In the meantime.

Kang-hoo had thrown clones and illusions at it from the front while circling widely around behind Aikan.

Ayane was in charge of the shot that would fill the gap in between.

Taking advantage of the moment when the illusions and clones cleverly blocked Aikan’s vision, Ayane finished aiming.

The reason it took a little time was that the attack now was not a simple magic bullet attack. It was a proper strike.

Even the Noise Suppression skill was fully mobilized. Silent sniping preparations were complete, and a large amount of mana concentrated into the mana-shot pistol.

Since it became stronger the longer she dragged it out, Ayane waited until the optimal timing was created.

She had no thought of conserving mana.

Because she had already learned through Kang-hoo that the longer the fight against Aikan dragged on, the more troublesome it became.

Paat!

Soon, Kang-hoo, who had circled behind Aikan, lunged at it with Leap.

Because it was an extremely agile middle boss monster, he did not think a rear attack would succeed.

He simply wanted to firmly draw Aikan’s attention and, at the same time, check its firepower.

Recognizing Kang-hoo’s rush, Aikan did not hesitate and swung its greatsword backward before even turning its head.

Kang-hoo’s first defensive option was Protective Barrier. It wrapped around Kang-hoo in a circle as an integrated type, not an installation type.

Kaaang!

“……Impressive.”

It looked as if it had simply swung with physical strength alone, without using a skill, yet the barrier was half-destroyed.

A clear crack immediately appeared. Enough that it was not difficult to predict the barrier’s next fate.

However, right then.

Whoosh!

Aikan’s second attack came at a much faster timing than Kang-hoo had expected. It was an off-beat thrust.