Chapter 178

Chapter 178

POW!

With each loud crack and flash of light, the swarming cheating bugs collapsed lifelessly where they stood.

Most were killed instantly, their insides scorched by the high-voltage lightning, but a few stubbornly twitched, clinging to life.

Whoosh-!

An Tae-geon burned those remaining ones cleanly.

“Was the Chief really that strong?”

“Exactly. If he can take out eight Grade 5 creatures in one shot, he must be at least an A-rank Hunter, right?”

“Man, glad I joined Suho, huh? There’s no other mid-sized guild this solid.”

“Hey, it’s just that we’re short on people. We’re a guild that rivals the big ones, you know?”

Guild members who witnessed Ji-yoon’s attack exclaimed in admiration.

Though they found it strange that she had become so strong overnight, as if she were a different person, none of the guild members harbored ill will. Ji-yoon had always been well-behaved, and their trust in her was absolute.

Above all, having a stronger member in the same raid party meant faster progress and greater safety.

“How far have we come?”

“We’re almost there. Just about 20 more minutes and we’ll be at the boss room.”

Ji-yoon thought the time had finally come.

Using her power to quickly take down the boss would be advantageous both physically and economically.

“Alright. We’re breaking through like this!”

The Guardian Guild raid team advanced with Ji-yoon leading the way.

Her sword gleamed brighter and sharper than ever before.

POW!

Where the punishment swept through, half-burned Cunning Bugs lay scattered. The guild members advanced toward the boss room at a speed faster than ever before.

In less than ten minutes.

The assault team arrived before the boss room.

“No need for a break, right?”

“Yes! Since the Captain joined us, there’s been nothing left for us to do!”

“Right! Let’s go in immediately.”

Squeak-.

Opening the door revealed the boss monster: the Giant Cunning Bug.

The creature stood in the center of the boss room, having spun a thick web like a rope and positioned itself upon it.

“Crunch crunch!”

It emitted an unknown sound while spraying its web in all directions.

Cunning bugs climbed onto the web and attacked the guild members from the air.

“Punishment!”

Ji-yoon unleashed a thunderbolt at the Cunning Bugs.

But aside from a few that twitched from electrocution, the ones farther away were still buzzing around.

“Is this what they call a boss room?”

“Those aren’t just cunning bugs! They’re Low Cunning Bugs! Be careful!”

Ahn Tae-geon pointed at the Low Cunning Bugs with his short staff, about two spans long.

Guild members tried to rush out.

But Ji-yoon shouted, sword drawn.

“Everyone stop! I’ll handle this!”

Kwagwang-!

Thud-.

Thud-thud-thud-.

Another wave of punishment.

This time, packed with more mana than before, the scorched Low Cunning Bugs fell from the spiderwebs, scattering ash.

Still, it felt like a shame not to have killed every last Cunning Bug.

“Chief, we’ll join in too.”

“Sis, we can handle Cunning Bugs too…”

“Hold on!”

Ji-yoon walked toward the Giant Cunning Bug.

The guild members watched her with worried expressions, but Ji-yoon was confident.

‘Lady Eurabia. I shall use your power!’

Ji-yoon entered the Giant Cheating Bug’s embrace.

Now, this moment, was the time to use Eurabia’s power.

– Very well. Accept my might.

***

Eurabia’s power.

Gravitational pull and repulsive force.

The ability to draw near and repel all things bearing magnetism.

Its range and strength extend as far as her power reaches.

Crackle-!

Ji-yoon slammed the Judgment’s Cape into the floor. Electricity surged from the sword’s tip, spreading throughout the entire boss room.

Guild members waiting behind felt a faint electric current, causing their hair to stand on end with static.

The room filled with electricity, causing an imbalance of electrons and sending small sparks flying everywhere.

And then, at that moment.

Shushush-!

“Ah! My sword!”

“Ugh, my staff is being sucked in!”

The weapons held by the guild members flew toward Ji-yoon.

Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Swords, staffs, spears, and more spun round and round above Ji-yoon’s head.

The weapons stopped spinning for a moment, then all aimed at the Giant Cunning Bug.

“Come forth.”

Ji-yoon’s unfamiliar voice boomed out with authority.

The Giant Cunning Bug’s entire body began to be dragged toward them.

“Gulp!”

Swoosh-!

The Giant Cunning Bug firmly anchored its eight legs in the web and fired a stream of yellow fluid toward Ji-yoon.

But as Ji-yoon swung her arm, the rapidly flying fluid abruptly changed direction and fell to the ground.

Sssss-!

The Giant Cunning Bug’s fluid immediately began bubbling and boiling, melting the stones beneath it.

It was the giant cunning bug’s venom, containing a strong acid.

Whoosh-! Thud-.

Thud-thud.

Meanwhile, the weapons circling Ji-yoon’s side cut through the Giant Cunning Bug’s web.

Losing its footing, the Giant Cunning Bug fell to the floor and struggled desperately to avoid being dragged along.

“Gurgle gurgle!”

“Crunch crunch!”

The Low Cunning Bugs, which had been targeting the guild members, sensed their queen was in danger and charged toward Ji-yoon.

But that was the worst possible move.

Sizzle-!

Sparks began flying from the Low Cunning Bugs, pulling them together into a single mass.

Soon, the Low Cunning Bugs, fused into a massive lump, could not move an inch and could only struggle helplessly.

“Disappear.”

Ji-yoon’s ‘Judgment’s Cape’ targeted the mass of Low Cunning Bugs.

An immense energy, incomparable to anything before, shot forth.

The Low Cunning Bugs vanished without even leaving corpses behind.

“Grrrrrrr!”

The Giant Cunning Bug, seemingly giving up resistance, charged straight at Ji-yoon with its massive body.

Its eight legs moved independently, gathering speed for a headbutt.

CRASH!

But Ji-yoon blocked it simply by spreading her palm.

She wasn’t pushed back, nor did the ground crumble beneath her.

Instead, the Giant Cunning Bug simply collapsed with a thud, as if it had collided with an immense wall.

“Die.”

Ji-yoon’s body soared into the air.

She swung it straight at the Giant Cunning Bug’s head.

Thwack-!

“Gah!”

“Ugh….”

The floor caved in, and bodily fluids spurted from the completely crushed head toward the guild members.

“Manager Ji-yoon….”

“Sis….”

Ahn Tae-geon and Ha Tae-seong stared at Ji-yoon, unable to close their mouths.

Just moments ago, Ji-yoon’s performance was nothing short of an S-rank Hunter or higher.

She had defeated the boss monster with an overwhelming margin.

“Whoa! That was incredible! You’re insane, seriously!”

“Chief, when did you hide skills like that? Seriously, this is huge….”

The Guardian Guild members cheered and rushed toward Ji-yoon.

They wanted to express their gratitude to Ji-yoon for her hard work.

But Ji-yoon kept her head bowed, holding her palms wide open toward them.

“Don’t come near me!”

Ji-yoon wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

She trembled violently, hugging herself even tighter.

Thud.

Rip.

The sound of fabric tearing.

The back of Ji-yoon’s leather armor was torn away, revealing her bronze skin.

“It’s okay! Don’t come near me, everyone get out!”

Thud-.

As Ji-yoon knelt, Ha Tae-seong led the other guild members out of the boss room.

Only Heo So-jin remained, taking off her coat to cover Ji-yoon’s back.

“You… Why didn’t you leave?”

“I felt like I should stay…”

Rip!

Ji-yoon’s clothes tore away beneath Heo So-jin’s coat.

Her forearms grew thicker and thicker, her thighs steadily widening.

Ji-yoon tried desperately to constrict her body and stop the growth, but her physique kept expanding.

“Get out of the way…”

“Huh? Yes…!”

Heo So-jin hurriedly pulled away from Ji-yoon.

Swoosh-!

Ji-yoon had now surpassed human size. She grew larger than a troll, and only stopped growing when she reached a size comparable to an ogre’s.

“Huh…”

“B-Boss?”

Heo So-jin picked up her fallen coat and slowly approached Ji-yoon.

“Are you okay?”

Thud-.

Drip, drip.

Ji-yoon’s tears fell to the floor.

If he hadn’t seen them flowing down her chin, he would have thought someone had turned on a faucet.

“Sniff… What am I supposed to do now?”

“Huh…?”

“What am I supposed to do with this body?! Waaah!”

Ji-yoon finally broke down into a full-blown sobbing fit.

Heo So-jin, not knowing what to do, just stood beside Ji-yoon’s large body, tapping her foot nervously.

***

“Oh! It’s coming out!”

“What was that all about?”

About an hour must have passed.

Ji-yoon and Heo So-jin walked out of the boss’s room.

“Sis! What happened?”

Ha Tae-seong rushed over to Ji-yoon and examined her appearance.

Ji-yoon, who had buttoned up the long leather coat Heo So-jin had been wearing all the way to the top.

Since they belonged to the petite Heo So-jin, they came up to Ji-yoon’s knees, leaving her bare legs fully exposed.

And where were her shoes? She was barefoot.

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

“Nothing to worry about? Don’t you realize how you look?”

“So what? Inside a dungeon, all sorts of things happen. Heh heh.”

Ji-yoon avoided Ha Tae-seong’s gaze.

Ha Tae-seong continued to glare before shifting his target.

“Heo So-jin, what happened to you?”

“Huh? …Ah, nothing happened…”

“Haa… Looks like you don’t want to talk about it either. Then let me ask just one thing. Did something bad happen to my sister? Like, is she sick or something?”

“It’s not like that! You, you don’t need to worry…!”

“…Got it.”

Ha Tae-sung looked at Ji-yoon.

She gave him an awkward smile.

“Taeseong, I’m really fine, so don’t worry. And there are weapons inside, so you should go get them.”

“Understood…”

Ha Tae-sung took off his shoes and placed them in front of Ji-yoon.

Then he called out to the other guild members.

“Everyone, go grab your weapons. You and Heo So-jin go ahead first.”

“Thanks.”

Ji-yoon and Heo So-jin exited the dungeon first.

Ha Tae-seong watched them for a while before entering the boss room and taking ‘Srakka’s Fang’.

‘Sis…’

Ha Tae-seong recalled Ji-yoon’s appearance.

She had shown incredible strength, completely different from yesterday.

He wondered what had changed in Ji-yoon.

‘It’s good that my sister has grown stronger, but I can’t help but worry.’

To Ha Tae-seong, Ji-yoon was family.

Although they had been separated for a long time without contact, the moment he saw her again, old memories and feelings came flooding back all at once.

She was Ji-yoon, who had looked after him, Park Kyung-min, and Gong So-eun, sometimes like a sister, sometimes like a mother.

It was cause for celebration that she had gained such powerful strength.

But there was bound to be a price to pay.

After all, there’s no such thing as luck without a price.

‘She might have lost something, or she might lose something in the future.’

It was impossible to know what Ji-yoon sacrificed to gain such great power.

Perhaps she would have to sacrifice something in the future.

Ha Taeseong simply wished for Ji-yoon to remain unharmed, free from pain, and to keep smiling every day.

After all, since Guildmaster Bugil left, Ji-yoon has barely smiled a single day.

‘This won’t do. The Deputy Guildmaster would understand. I must ask him as soon as he returns.’

Ha Tae-seong trailed behind the group of guild members exiting the dungeon, fiddling with Srakka’s fang at the very back.