The Handsomer You Are, the Stronger You Become-Chapter 145: Friends (6)
Monsters in the 700-level range descended upon Seoul.
“It’s happening! The monsters are coming down!”
“Everyone, prepare for battle! Get your attack skills ready!!”
Under Go Kyungseok’s command, hunters lined up in formation, raising their weapons—swords, spears, bows, and more.
As the monsters approached—
“Fire!!”
SHOOOO! SLASH! WHOOSH!
On cue, a barrage of attack skills was unleashed. Arrows, sword auras, flames, and ice spears filled the air.
“SCREEE!!”
“GYAAAAAH!!”
[You have defeated Lv 720. Corrupted Abyssal Demon Knight.]
[You have defeated Lv 710. Corrupted Abyssal Brainwashed Wyvern.]
[You have defeated Lv 730. Corrupted Abyssal Brainwashed Ogre.]
The monsters disintegrated under the assault.
“We did it!!”
“Even 700-level monsters aren’t so tough after all!”
“There are a lot of them, but we can win!!”
Cheers erupted from the hunters.
Initially, there had been unease as they gathered on Gangnam Boulevard. Despite the presence of Go Kyungseok, guild masters, and other prominent figures, the massive size of the portal loomed ominously.
An SS-class dungeon raid was a task for top-tier hunters, and this was the first time anyone had faced a Forced Dungeon Break.
The hunters had worried:
What if monsters above level 750 appeared?
What if there were too many to handle?
Even with Go Kyungseok and the guild masters leading the charge, it would have been a devastating battle.
But now, with their initial success, the hunters’ morale soared.
However, as they celebrated—
“Focus, everyone! It’s not over yet!!”
Go Kyungseok’s sharp voice cut through the cheers.
The Dungeon Break had only just begun, and as Kang Hyunsoo had warned, the real challenge was still ahead.
As if on cue, more monsters began emerging.
[Lv 720. Corrupted Abyssal Demon Knight.]
[Lv 710. Corrupted Abyssal Brainwashed Wyvern.]
Wyvern-mounted knights took control of the skies.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
[Lv 740. Corrupted Abyssal Brainwashed Golem.]
[Lv 730. Corrupted Abyssal Brainwashed Ogre.]
On the ground, massive golems and ogres descended in blinding flashes of light.
Following them—
[Lv 770. Corrupted Abyssal Minotaur.]
THUD! THUD!
“ROOOOOAAAAR!!”
A colossal monster appeared, dwarfing even the ogres and golems.
It had the head of a bull, a muscular body, and wielded a massive double-edged axe.
And it wasn’t just its size that was intimidating.
“This... This is insane! Look at the size of that thing!”
“Don’t lose your nerve! Everyone, attack!!”
Hunters launched long-range attacks, but—
“ROOOOOAAAAAAR!!”
WHOOSH—!!
The Minotaur swung its axe, deflecting all incoming attacks.
Even worse—
“Tch. No choice. Get in close and attack!”
“Charge!!”
Hunters from the Ilsum Guild bravely charged, leading the melee assault.
But even that failed.
The Minotaur easily blocked their attacks and countered with devastating force, swinging its massive axe at anything in its path.
“What... What kind of skin is that tough?!”
“The level difference is too high! Aaaagh!!”
The Minotaur remained unscathed, while hunters fell left and right, their health drained instantly with a single blow.
At 750-level, the Minotaur was among the elite of SS-class monsters, far beyond what ordinary hunters could handle.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely unmanageable.
As the hunters struggled—
SLASH! THUD!!
[You have defeated Lv 770. Corrupted Abyssal Minotaur.]
“Gasp! The Ilsum Guild Master took it down!!”
“Thank you, Guild Master!!”
Shim Wonsik, the master of the Ilsum Guild, had slain the Minotaur.
The colossal threat was neutralized in an instant.
But there was no time to celebrate.
While Shim Wonsik had been focused on the Minotaur, another flank collapsed.
“They’re pushing through!!”
“Damn it, there are too many of them!!”
The battlefield descended into chaos.
Initially, under Go Kyungseok’s command, the hunters had maintained a tight formation, using their skills in unison to annihilate the enemy. But as time passed, the lines broke.
The number of monsters increased exponentially, and with the appearance of higher-level monsters, their carefully arranged formations fell apart.
Even Go Kyungseok joining the fray wasn’t enough to stabilize the situation.
“Haah... Haah... Chief, we can’t hold the line much longer. Shouldn’t we retreat?”
“Agreed. And we should forcibly summon the hunters who didn’t respond to the call!”
“There are already over a thousand monsters! It’s too much!!”
The hunters around Go Kyungseok urged him to order a retreat.
Objectively, they were right.
However—
‘Damn it... If we fall back now, the damage will be catastrophic.’
Go Kyungseok couldn’t make the call.
If they retreated, the monsters’ range of destruction would expand.
Evacuating civilians from central Gangnam was already a monumental task. Evacuating the entirety of Seoul? Impossible.
The number of casualties could rise to hundreds, even thousands.
As Go Kyungseok agonized over the decision—
THUD! THUD!
Heavy footsteps echoed through the battlefield.
[Lv 785. Corrupted Abyssal {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} Grand Minotaur.]
From the distance, an even larger Minotaur appeared.
“G-Grand...?”
“Judging by the timing, it seems to be the mid-boss monster!”
Hunters nearby charged at it in unison, but their efforts were futile.
Their attacks couldn’t even scratch the Grand Minotaur. With a single downward swing of its massive axe—
BOOOOM—!!
A wave of overwhelming aura surged forward, cutting through everything in its path.
At the end of that destructive line stood Go Kyungseok.
“......!!”
Eyes wide, Go Kyungseok quickly raised his shield.
But the power was too immense.
KABOOM—!!
Though he managed to block the attack, the explosion sent him tumbling across the ground.
THUD! THUD!
Heavy footsteps drew closer.
Watching the Grand Minotaur advance through the lingering dust, Go Kyungseok came to a grim realization.
‘Retreating was the right choice.’
Thinking they could hold the line in one go was arrogance.
Even if they somehow stopped the Dungeon Break here, the losses would be catastrophic—possibly devastating enough to end South Korea’s future as a hunter powerhouse.
“Hunters, fall ba—!”
Just as Go Kyungseok was about to give the retreat order, something unexpected happened.
FLASH! SLASH! SLASH! WHOOSH!
Through the thick dust, flashes of light streaked past. Sword strikes cut through the air with precise, unstoppable force.
[You have defeated Lv 785. Corrupted Abyssal Grand Minotaur.]
THUD!!
The massive mid-boss monster crumpled to the ground.
And it wasn’t just the Grand Minotaur.
SLASH! SLASH!
“SCREEEEE!!”
“GYAOOOOHH!!”
Hundreds of monsters, both on the ground and in the air, were simultaneously slashed down.
“What...? The monsters...?”
“T-this is insane! They’re all dead!!”
The hunters were left speechless, their mouths agape at the shocking sight.
The reason soon became clear.
“Apologies for the delay. My schedule ran longer than expected.”
“Kang Hyunsoo, Hunter!!”
Kang Hyunsoo.
Wielding twin swords, he had obliterated the monsters in an instant with techniques like Titan Cleave, Heaven’s Rend, and Frenzy Slash.
The battlefield fell silent.
The tide of battle had turned almost immediately.
“Kang Hyunsoo is this strong? He’s not just one against a hundred—he’s one against a thousand!”
“I told you, Kang Hyunsoo is the best hunter in Korea!”
“As expected of Kang Hyunsoo Hunter!!”
From rank-and-file hunters to Jin Gijun, the deputy guild master of the Samcheon Guild, everyone raised their weapons in cheers, celebrating the sudden reversal of fortunes.
However, this wasn’t the end of the Forced Dungeon Break.
Monsters continued to pour out of the portal.
The only way to stop it was to enter the dungeon and clear it directly.
Go Kyungseok, aware of this from the prior briefing, turned to Kang Hyunsoo.
“Thanks to you, we’ve been saved, Kang Hyunsoo Hunter. Are you planning to enter the dungeon now?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
“The raid team members you requested are over there. Secretary, bring them here.”
“Yes, Chief!”
At Go Kyungseok’s command, a secretary hunter rushed to retrieve the raid team members.
The team Kang Hyunsoo had preselected soon arrived.
“You’re here, Hyungnim!”
“Long time no see, Kang Hyunsoo Hunter!”
“Wow! Hyunsoo Oppa, I think you’ve gotten even more handsome!”
Han Sungbin, Jin Seoyun, and Yuhana.
It had been a while since he’d seen his allies, and their smiles lit up the mood.
But not everyone shared their enthusiasm.
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Go Kyungseok glanced at the three of them, then at Kang Hyunsoo, his expression uneasy.
“I’ve organized the team as you requested... but are you sure this is sufficient?”
Including Kang Hyunsoo, the SS-class dungeon raid team consisted of only four members.
Far fewer than a typical SS-class dungeon raid team.
Moreover, Han Sungbin, Jin Seoyun, and Yuhana weren’t even top-tier hunters yet.
Though Go Kyungseok didn’t know why Kang Hyunsoo had chosen them, it was clear that their strength seemed insufficient to face 700-level monsters.
“Yes, this will do. It won’t be an issue,” Kang Hyunsoo answered confidently.
“But... we don’t have much time. Do you think you can finish within three hours? Beyond that, we won’t be able to hold out.”
Despite his concerns, Go Kyungseok couldn’t shake the memory of the earlier battle. If Kang Hyunsoo failed, the hunters would suffer devastating losses.
Clearing an unknown SS-class dungeon within three hours seemed impossible, but they had no other choice.
Oddly, though, Kang Hyunsoo didn’t seem fazed.
“Don’t worry. If I’m not back within the time limit, withdraw and assemble a new raid team. But...”
He smiled faintly.
“I’ll only need thirty minutes.”
“Are... are you serious?”
Go Kyungseok’s jaw dropped at the audacious claim. For a moment, he thought it might be a joke, but Kang Hyunsoo’s demeanor said otherwise.
Hyunsoo briefly glanced at a translucent status window floating in front of him before nodding.
《Status Window》
[Lv 625. Kang Hyunsoo]
[Title: Elegant Sword King]
With a confident smile, he said, “Yes, it’s more than enough time.”
