Chapter 243

Chapter 243

Crash-!

The demon gatekeeper, Checkpoint Overseer Baltimore.

Lucas and Evangeline were the first to rush in, halting its monstrous charge.

The massive demon, clad in impeccable armor, groaned and stopped in its tracks.

"Penal Squad!"

I commanded the waiting Kuilan and the Penal Squad.

"Its your turn."

"Hell yeah! Lets do this!"

The strategy was pre-devised to confront this boss monster solely with the Penal Squad.

In any case, the Penal Squad was the strongest sub-party under my command. They were expected to excel in defending stage 10 as well.

I cant fail to defeat a boss of this caliber!

Lucas and Evangeline swiftly retreated to either side, and seizing the opportunity, I swung my staff lightly, tapping the shoulders of the Penal Squad members.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

With its unique sound effect, a random buff was applied to the bodies of the five Penal Squad members.

"Oh man, I feel so powered up!"

"The buff lasts for 3 minutes. Be careful not to suddenly lose strength."

"Heh, so all I need to do is bash that monster within 3 minutes?"

Thump!

With a sly smile, Kuilan clenched his fists in front of his chest.

His right hand bore the Lucky Strike, and a regular gauntlet adorned his left.

"Ever since the old days, weve been good at beating up armored soldiers. Today, Ill give you a proper demonstration, Your Majesty."

"Im looking forward to it, Kuilan."

I said so, but I quickly signaled Lucas and Evangeline with my eyes.

Both knights instantly nodded in understanding.

Should the Penal Squad, especially the frail-bodied Kuilan, find themselves in danger, the two knights would intervene.

Despite his combat skills, Kuilan was an unstable close-combat dealer because of his Glass Body trait.

Even with several safety mechanisms in his equipment, I couldnt help but worry...

Swoosh-!

Amid this tense situation, Kuilan and the Penal Squad charged at the boss monster.

A red aura emanated from Kuilans body. It was his self-buff skill, [Leaf Drift].Reêad latest novels at novelhall.com

This red aura extended from his limbs, reaching out and striking the boss monsters armor.

Clang and Bang!

It sounded like a hammer striking metal.

Kuilans first skill, [Leaf Crush].

A skill that delivers a strike, ignoring the opponents armor.

The boss monster, despite its thick armor, flinched in surprise as the damage registered.

"Continuous strikes! Go, go, go!"

Bang! Boom and Crash!

As Kuilans fists descended upon the armor, a red aura trailed behind, dispersing in all directions.

Just like falling leaves.

...Is that why all his skills have the term Leaf in them?

Vroom-!

The boss monster swung the club in its hand horizontally.

Kuilan effortlessly dodged the massive swing and continued his barrage of punches and kicks.

Demon-type monsters differed from other monsters in that they didnt have clear strengths or weaknesses.

However, they possessed stats superior to humans in every aspect and, like humans, could utilize equipment.

In other words, they were no different from strong humans.

The more skilled one was at battling humans, the easier it became to combat the demon-type.

"This is too predictable! I was worried about facing a boss, but is this all its got?!"

For several decades, Kuilan, fitting of his title as the Bandit King, skillfully dodged enemy attacks, and conversely, led the battle by landing his blows.

"Whoa! Our captains doing great!"

"Alright, lets slowly join in. If we dont help now, well get an earful later."

As his subordinates began to approach lazily, Kuilan shouted at them.

"I was about to scold you all anyway! Hurry up and help!"

"Yeah, yeah, were on it!"

The Penal Squad members, who had been in sync with Kuilan for a long time, adeptly covered Kuilans weak points, enhancing his attacks with their follow-ups, guiding the course of the battle.

Roar!

The boss monster, after enduring a prolonged onslaught, had its eyes turn bloodshot. Tearing off the armor on its body, it spread its leathery wings wide.

Phase 2 of the Demon Gatekeeper.

Its attack and speed increased, but in exchange, its defense significantly decreased.

"A rain of darkness? A flood? A tsunami? Whats so scary about that?"

The boss monster swung its club wildly, murmuring something incomprehensible.

The dungeon was cleared.

Flutter-!

The empires flag, signifying the completion of the siege, rose majestically. Damien cheered, "Ha!"

"So, does this place now fully belong to us?"

"Sadly, no."

Dungeons reset each season.

The territory weve claimed here wont remain ours, and after we proceed to the next stage, the dungeon will be populated with monsters again.

The gate we destroyed will be perfectly restored.

This siege was merely a mode of clearing, not a true conquest of land.

While its a pity that we couldnt maintain the occupation, if you think about it differently, its basically replenishing the monsters and supplying experience points.

Having even one more dungeon available for farming is advantageous for us.

...As I explained, Damien looked up at the fluttering empire flag, appearing slightly disappointed.

In the meantime, the party members searched and looted treasure chests.

There were a total of two treasure chests. From one, various consumables came out in a bundle. From the other...

[Fragment of the Great Commanders Flag]

Ah!

A piece of my exclusive equipment emerged!

[Fragment of the Great Commanders Flag] (2/5)

- One of the five fragments of character Ashs exclusive equipment [Great Commanders Flag (EX)].

- Collect all five fragments to assemble the full flag.

I had been wondering when I would gather them all, but somehow, the pieces have been coming together. I swiftly took the fragment and tucked it safely away.

All the monsters were dealt with, all the collectible items secured, and the teleport gate of the safe zone was activated...

All that was left was to return.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Hm?

Suddenly, an annoyingly high-pitched alarm started ringing in my ear.

[ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!]

A red system window popped up, displaying a warning message in front of my eyes. Whats this about?

The system window producing the warning sound and message was the...

[Boss Detection Radar] <For Free Exploration>

- Sends a warning when a boss monster is near.

Its the boss detection radar that had been unlocked in the achievement shop.

After the Vampire Lord Celendion ambushed us in the dungeon, Aider added this feature as a precaution.

For free exploration, theres usually no need to be warned about regular boss monsters. So, it was set to alert us only when a commander-level boss approached.

And now... the radar was reacting.

As expected.

I smirked darkly, gazing into the citys depths.

Theyve really brought it.

Feeling something amiss, one by one, the party members also turned their heads in the direction I was looking.

What is...?!

Damn?!

Somethings coming...!

With tense expressions, they gripped their weapons tightly.

Thud, thud, thud...

From inside the walls we had breached...

With heavy footfalls, without any attempt at stealth, confidently...

Thud, thud, thud...!

Cutting through the darkness, it approached.

The sheer oppressive aura it emitted seemed to split the darkness around it.

"Ive been waiting."

A colossal, muscular werewolf with shimmering silver fur.

The boss of this Stage 10.

Lycanthrope. The Beast of Gvaudan.

The full moons slaughterer, the Wolf King -

"...Lunared."

As I uttered its name, the monster chuckled.

"Ash. Ash Born Hater Everblack."

The monster, naming me in return, examined me intently with its blood-red eyes.

Its eyes glinted with pure desire.

"...Finally, Ive found you."

A raw, pure longing - the desire to tear me apart.