NOVEL NEXT Chapter 51
Everyone was left in a daze at the man’s words.
Indeed, that was the only place we hadn’t properly explored.
However, on the other hand, it was such an unreasonable and ruthless hypothesis.
‘We have to go down?’
‘That steep cliff?’
‘…In this blizzard?’
While hunters have bodies that differ from ordinary people, no one had ever experienced something like this.
Likewise, the equipment that could be of help only had the minimum necessary setup; it was insufficient.
Who would have imagined that we would need to descend a cliff inside a dungeon in the first place?
The strategy team’s hunters returned to base camp with dark expressions after finishing their exploration.
That night, an urgent meeting began.
“Well, we should consider the odds as being high.”
“Since there aren’t any other places left except for the cliff…”
“The problem now is how to conduct the exploration.”
The policy was practically set; it was just the method that was the issue.
“How many can fight from the air?”
“There is one wind-type mage in our party. However, the limit for flying is a maximum of two.”
“We also have two people who can fight while climbing the rocky walls.”
Summarizing, there seemed to be roughly seven people who could realistically fight.
“Just sending in people without a plan doesn’t seem wise.”
Given the terrain, bringing along someone who doesn’t fit would only increase risk.
In the end, the strategy team decided to select those who could fight on the cliff, identify the boss room’s location, and then challenge the clear with the follow-up team.
Kim Seung-min, who participated in the meeting, informed his party members of this decision and sought their opinions.
“For now, I haven’t said anything, but does anyone here have experience fighting on cliffs?”
Choi Eun-sol and Kwak Min-ji weren’t able to do it, and Song Ha-yeon still didn’t have a proper aerial combat method.
As they all shook their heads to indicate impossibility, only one person raised their hand without hesitation. It was Baek Eun-ha.
As this was uncommon behavior in such situations, everyone looked at her with puzzled expressions, and Baek Eun-ha hesitantly spoke up.
“…I just want to finish quickly and go home.”
As time passed, the next day arrived.
‘…It shouldn’t take this long.’
To be honest, I was extremely dissatisfied right now.
Certainly, I didn’t think we would clear it right away, but it had already been ten days since we entered here.
Ten days is enough time to play dozens of games. Of course, I could feel my frustration mounting.
‘Mid-tier hunters aren’t really any different either.’
Just like the term ‘Basilisk’ exists in reality, to my eyes, they weren’t much different from the lower-tier hunters.
So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and find the boss room to hasten the clearing time.
It felt a bit like asking for trouble, but I thought it’d be better than silently waiting and trusting others.
Among the eight gathered, Choi Han-na, a hunter from Kim Kyung-sik’s party, who had been exploring in the same direction as us, spoke to me.
“Uh, isn’t Baek Eun-ha a summoner? Can you engage in aerial combat?”
“Ah, um, if I try hard… maybe…”
Certainly, right now, I couldn’t summon any undead that could fly and have high combat power.
However, there was no need to fly. In short, it wasn’t a problem as long as I could climb the cliff well.
And there was already a local expert guide capable of doing that.
It was none other than the Ice Troll we fought just yesterday.
Thud.
Thud thud!
[Groar!]
As I pointed at the Ice Troll I had summoned from a corner of the forest, Choi Han-na jumped back in shock.
Indeed, it had become even more grotesque due to having turned into an undead, in addition to its already fearsome appearance.
I gestured to the Ice Troll, which was standing like a statue in front of me, and climbed onto its shoulder.
Thus, the exploration of the snowfield cliff began.
Whoooosh!
Swish!
“The wind is strong! Everyone, maintain your distance!”
“Are you confirming the direction? Visibility is poor, so it would be problematic if we get it wrong later.”
“This way is correct! We seem to be going down quite a bit already!”
Although everyone was told to keep their distance, due to my characteristics, I preferred to stay a bit farther back and took a position behind the group.
Some time passed, and then from within the blizzard, a peculiar cry began to echo.
Screee! Screech!
“There’s something!”
Something passed by quickly in front of my eyes, accompanied by a sharp whistling wind. It was a signal of an ambush.
Shred!!
“Ugh!”
“Frost hawk! It’s a frost hawk!”
“Going with the large type 2! Engage!”
The frost hawk, a huge bird monster covered in ice, had a B4 rank classification.
Originally high in agility, encountering one on this cliff made it a considerably tricky opponent.
“Vacuum Slash!”
“Spin Cutter!”
Shred!!
Crack!
Wheeeek!
A chaotic scene unfolded in front of my eyes, filled with agonized sounds from my team and the shrieks of the frost hawks.
It seemed everyone was struggling as they were not accustomed to this kind of battle.
“How many of these are there?!”
“They’re coming around for another pass!”
Seeing the hunters in a flustered state, I sighed and gestured to the Ice Troll.
“Grab one.”
Boom!
With that, the Ice Troll holding me on its shoulder jumped up and snatched one of the frost hawks.
[Groar!]
Thud!
Crack!
Wheeeek!
The frost hawk with its wings completely torn off plummeted down the cliff, while the Ice Troll swiftly turned to grab another one as it flapped its wings, snapping its neck with a loud sound before securing itself back on the rocky surface.
Boom!
Crack!
If one ambush was successful, the next steps would be easy.
“Undead Call.”
With the summoning spell accurately cast, the two frost hawks that were falling erupted with death energy and spread their wings, soaring back into the sky.
[Screee!]
[Keek!]
Having dispatched two in an instant, there were still many remaining. The proof of that was the scream of someone from our group.
“Ah, ah?! Aaaaah!”
A man who had accidentally lost his grip on the rocky cliff during the battle began to fall, and I felt pain in my head as I quickly scanned the area. Then I immediately took action.
“…Go catch him.”
Boom!
At my command, the Ice Troll kicked off the cliff and leaped toward the man, while I, falling from the Ice Troll, quickly began to chant a spell.
Whoooosh.
“Breath of Corruption.”
Swoosh.
Keek!
As I cast the curse, as if signaling, the two newly summoned frost hawks charged sharply, taking out the enemy’s breath.
Crack!
Swoosh!
Whoooosh.
“Undead Call.”
That makes three. This was enough of a number. I summoned two relatively intact frost hawks to steady my falling body.
[Screee!]
[Screech!]
Thud!
There was quite a shock, but considering my current specs, I could withstand it. At the same time, the Ice Troll also successfully caught the man and landed back on the cliff.
That was truly textbook-perfect control.
Such a daring decision and the skills to back it up could never have emerged from those who only barely utilized their specs.
‘There are so many fools who can’t even use half of their specs.’
Nonetheless, the tides had turned. I quickly joined forces with my revitalized party to clean up the remaining enemies.
Thus, the first battle on the cliff came to an end.
“What’s the situation?”
“There are two lightly injured. I don’t think we can continue the battle.”
“…For now, let’s get them to higher ground.”
While there was still some risk, the appearance of this many monsters indicated that the current path we were heading was the right choice.
Han Min-jae, an A-rank hunter from Hanul Guild, who was temporarily in command, sent me a glance filled with admiration and asked,
“How much longer can you maintain your summons?”
“…Um, for a while.”
“Then it might be fine for us to push a bit further ahead.”
To clear the dungeon, we had to find the boss room.
Even if it meant taking a risk, it was wise to be a bit greedy at this point.
After that, we proceeded through two more battles, and at last, we discovered a suspicious passage located in the middle of the cliff.
“This is…”
“It’s hard to see, but it looks like a cave inside.”
“I’m getting a hunch.”
Indeed, the inside resembled a cave.
Icicles and stalactites were formed all over, and the ground was wet, making a splashing sound with every step.
“…Let’s go deeper.”
Splish.
Splish.
Thud.
After moving for a while, what unfolded before our eyes was a massive door covered in thick ice.
“…It’s unmistakable, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. I think we’ve found it.”
“Shit, we’re finally saying goodbye to this cursed cold.”
The much-dreaded boss room of the B4 rank large dungeon finally revealed itself.