Giant Dungeon (2)

Their second run.

With Kim Minwoo and the rest of his summons joining in, their pace more than doubled. Park Siwoo stared wide-eyed as the monsters were swept away in droves.

'Wow...'

Honestly, achieving an SSS-grade achievement had gone to his head a little.

'He's just on a whole different level.'

He could feel exactly what those words meant now. Just two months ago, when they had sparred on the deserted island, Minwoo had summoned roughly five hundred skeletons.

Now it was different. Not only was he leading around hordes of specters—far higher-tier summons—but the number of skeletons he summoned had grown enormously, too.

And these weren't some pathetic summons, either. They knew how to fight.

'They've improved. A hell of a lot.'

There was a world of difference between these skeletons and the ones he'd fought on the island. Back then, their combat instincts had made them little better than goblins. Now they felt like seasoned awakeners. Even dealing with these basic summons alone would give him considerable trouble.

'And those aren't even the real threat.'

There was the golem called Dolsoe. Siwoo couldn't help wondering just what its stats looked like. Its tanking ability was so exceptional that it could withstand a beating from several giants at once and still counterattack.

And that wasn't all. Cedric, too, had changed enormously. For one thing, he had grown even bigger.

'... He's strong.'

Overwhelming stats, paired with precise spearmanship. Every swing of the skeleton's spear punched holes through the giants.

'Could I beat him one-on-one?'

No matter how he looked at it, he didn't think he could.

HUM!

The Holy Sword hummed as though in agreement. Siwoo thought he might stand a chance of facing Cedric if he declared a Sanctuary and received the stat boost.

But while they hadn't seen each other, Minwoo had acquired yet another monstrous summon.

Banshee Queen Merhen.

She was a mage, one whose upper limits he couldn't even begin to guess.

They were on their second run through the gate, and ever since she'd joined the fighting, not a single giant had managed to cast a proper spell. Every one of them tried, only to collapse coughing up blood.

'How is this even possible?'

Of course, he'd heard that truly accomplished mages could do something like that: read an opponent's spell, react a step ahead of its caster, and shut it down.

'But I heard only a tiny handful could do it...'

Empty shells who simply read skill books to cast spells couldn't pull that off. He'd heard it was a feat reserved for the rare genuine talents who could create magic themselves. Even those mages probably couldn't interrupt spells every single time the way Merhen did.

Then there was Kim Minwoo himself, running wild and spreading curses.

'This is insane.'

After they demolished another group, Siwoo asked a question during their brief rest.

"Minwoo."

"What?"

"How do those legion commanders' levels work?"

"They go up along with mine."

"... Then, strictly speaking, when you gain one level, it isn't just one level, is it?"

"That's the whole point of picking a summoning class."

Siwoo was right. Was Minwoo the only one who grew stronger when he leveled up? No. From Merhen, the legion commander, and Dolsoe to the skeleton troops and specters, everyone grew stronger together.

That was why he'd chosen necromancer in the first place. With Kim Minwoo's potential, he'd thought any other choice would be hopeless.

'Their levels have gone up quite a bit.'

Thanks to all their hunting so far, the skeleton troops' average level had reached 99. The mages were in their sixties, and the specters in their forties. They had to split the experience, but what mattered was that they were growing stronger. As long as they kept killing monsters, their levels would keep inching upward.

Especially now that they'd broken past the level-200 cap.

'Even I don't know where the ceiling is.'

It might sound a little conceited, but even Minwoo himself couldn't imagine how far this synergy would go. He'd never seen or heard of a necromancer like this.

Siwoo, who had been staring at Cedric, spoke up.

"Minwoo. I'll work hard, so, ahem. You're... not going to ditch me, right?"

"If you have time to worry about pointless stuff like that, swing your sword another time. Okay?"

"... Okay!"

His face brightening instantly, Siwoo ran ahead. Minwoo chuckled as he watched him.

'Come to think of it, this is my first time starting a guild.'

He hadn't played in parties with the other characters, either. He could clear the game without one.

He'd tried when playing Kim Minwoo, but immediately given up. How was he supposed to play in a party when everyone called him a lowborn and all that? He'd be lucky not to get stabbed in the back. A guild, a step above a party, had been out of the question.

'Well... this might not be so bad.'

Hunt down the Outer God within seven years. In other words, he might live here for as long as seven years. That was a long time to spend without any personal relationships. That had been part of his reason for founding a guild, too.

In any case, they were far more familiar with the gate on their second run, and with Minwoo actively participating, they cut their time considerably.

Two hours.

That was how long it took them to clear the gate.

When they emerged, they found far more reporters gathered than before. The press stared at them eagerly.

"Mr. Kim Minwoo! Please give us an interview!"

"A two-hour clear! How on earth did you manage it?"

Three people. Two consecutive runs, cleared in four hours and two hours respectively. Korea had already been in an uproar for some time.

—What? Am I reading this right? Two hours? Are they missing a zero??

—Did they hypnotize the monsters or something? What the hell is that clear time lol

—Where are all the guys saying Ilseong would stomp them? I don't think even the first team could clear it in two hours lmao

—They could. If they pushed themselves like crazy and did nothing but advance. A few people would get hurt or die, though.

—Yeah lol, and these guys have already done two runs, right? Nobody's hurt, right? Case closed, right?

—Wow, I genuinely don't know anymore. Honestly thought Money-Blowing would get wrecked in the guild battle, but they might win?

—They really are impressive; starting to understand that valuation;

—Sixty trillion? Is that expensive? Maybe Chairman Kim's buying his stake at a family discount?

—Oh, fuck off lmao. Here come the flag-waving fanboys again lol. How the hell is that a discount, you lunatics lmao

—Whatever, isn't their potential actually insane? Two hours for an A-rank?

—Yeah. That performance really was nuts. At that speed, they were basically smashing their way through the gate.

—Those giants were living in peace, and now they're crying tears of blood lol

—I'm an A-rank awakener. Took thirty of us three hours just to kill the Giant Prince. Is this for real?

—That's fucking normal lol. Took us four hours haha

—We kept saying they were good, and now they're actually this good lol. I'm an A-rank awakener, and I think they'll tear Ilseong apart. GG.

—Look how fast that A-rank guy switched sides lmao

—Three of them clear it in two hours, and you expect me NOT to change my mind? People need to be flexible. Remember this bit of wisdom, kids.

—They might even have a shot at clearing an S-rank gate? That's not national pride talking. I'm being objective.

—For real, they do. Need to see the guild battle first, but they've definitely got something going on.

—Ah, I was going to skip the guild battle because it looked so predictable. Guess I'll have to watch.

—Seriously lol. It's in the evening, so I'm ordering fried chicken and beer to watch it lol

—Every chicken place is gonna sell out that day lmao

While the online forums went wild, the questions continued. How had they cleared it so fast? Was it because of the Sword Phoenix? How much had Park Siwoo contributed? And so on.

Minwoo gave suitably vague answers to the barrage. In other words, he offered only superficial replies, leaving out everything important.

The reporters were starting to look disgruntled at his empty answers when he spoke.

"I know it's frustrating. I'm sure you're curious. Then come watch the guild battle the day after tomorrow. I'll answer everything there."

He glanced at his watch and grinned.

"Oh, it's past midnight. Tomorrow, then. I'll be going now."

"Mr. Kim Minwoo! Mr. Kim Minwoo!"

"Wait! We still have questions...!"

Despite the reporters' desperate calls, the three only continued farther away.

* * *

After their two runs, they took the day to rest thoroughly for the following day's guild battle.

As evening approached, the three gathered again in front of Sangam Awakener Stadium. It was an enormous venue, big enough to hold two hundred thousand people.

International events could fill even that vast space. This time, however, every seat had sold out despite it not being an international event—and within just hours of the guild battle announcement, at that. It was a staggering number of tickets to sell for a single exhibition match.

'I heard sales were slow at first.'

Had they said around fifty thousand of the two hundred thousand seats were sold? Most of those had probably been bought by his and Seo Yerim's fans out of loyalty. Some would have been Ilseong Guild fans, too. The reason sales had been slow was obvious.

A match with a predictable outcome never looked very entertaining. It took a clash between destined rivals to really get the crowd cheering.

The outcome had seemed obvious. But then they'd demolished an A-rank gate? In a time so short even the first team might struggle to match it? Didn't that mean the result was anyone's guess?

From that point on, sales had skyrocketed until every seat was sold.

The stadium was already buzzing. From the commentators to the broadcasters' camera crews, everyone was bustling about.

They entered the competitors' waiting area. Before long, staff came in to give them their cue.

"Let's go smash them."

Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo nodded and rose.

A moment later, the announcement rang out.

"It would be no exaggeration to call these three the hottest awakeners in Korea right now! Their exploits are every bit as outrageous as their guild's name! Please welcome Guild Master Kim Minwoo and his two fellow awakeners from the Money-Blowing Guild!"

WOOO!

An enormous roar erupted as the three stepped into the center of the stadium, packed with two hundred thousand spectators. Ilseong Guild was already waiting on the opposite side.

"Would both Guild Masters please step forward!"

Nam Cheolmin and Kim Minwoo took the stage. They were handed microphones, and the commentator addressed them.

"I've heard there's a story behind this guild battle. There was some controversy over an investment by your parent group, Ilseong, wasn't there?"

Cheolmin cleared his throat and brought the microphone to his mouth.

"It's true that we at Ilseong Guild expressed concern about the excessive investment."

"Do you still feel the same way?"

"I do. Honestly, it is rather expensive, isn't it?"

"Wow, he's not afraid to speak his mind! Refreshing as a Nam-Cola! Guild Master Kim Minwoo, what do you think about that?"

"Well, don't you usually give your family first pick of the good stuff?"

"Of course. Family shares even the smallest morsel."

"That's why I'm selling to Ilseong. At a special discount."

"Wow. Are you saying sixty trillion won is already a discounted price?"

"You'll find out when you watch today's match."

"That's incredible confidence! Of course, the Money-Blowing Guild really has done something extraordinary! An A-rank gate cleared in two hours! And not just some easy gate, either. We're talking about the Land of Giants!"

The spectators nodded.

"But let's be completely honest and objective! It does still look a little expensive, doesn't it?"

More spectators nodded in agreement.

Minwoo grinned.

'He's pretty good.'

They'd said he was a top-class commentator. A professional really was a professional. He knew just how to scratch the audience's itch without being asked.

"I hope today's match will let you both settle your arguments and doubts once and for all! And of course, we can't finish without hearing a final word from each of you!"

The commentator turned to Cheolmin.

"A Super Rookie who burst onto the scene like a comet twenty years ago! His fame is as strong as ever! When you think of Korean archers, you think of Nam Cheolmin. And when you think of Nam Cheolmin, you think of archery. That's how it is! The audience must have high expectations."

"I'll do my very best to give them the performance they're hoping for."

Cheolmin answered modestly.

"Meanwhile, when you think of Korean necromancers, only one name comes to mind now: Kim Minwoo!"

"Well, that goes without saying. But did you say Mr. Nam Cheolmin is Korea's archer?"

"Yes. Guild Master Nam Cheolmin is Korea's number-one-ranked archer, after all."

"The archer in our guild would be pretty hurt to hear that."

Minwoo stared straight at Cheolmin. Then he spoke calmly.

"Guild Master Nam Cheolmin. It's about time you took off that heavy crown."

"Time to lay down his crown? Then who will inherit it?"

"We have an archer in our guild, too."

"Do you mean the Bow Phoenix, Seo Yerim?"

Bow Phoenix. It sounded similar to Sword Phoenix, a patchwork epithet people had slapped on her because she hadn't shown the world anything yet. It had become a meme and stuck.

"Sword Phoenix, Bow Phoenix. Aren't we getting a little tired of phoenixes? It's time she had a new epithet. I think that after today, the world will call Seo Yerim this."

"And what's that?"

"Divine Bow."

He spoke Iperin's epithet—the words that would now become hers.