Chapter 61 – An Unfamiliar Boss

At the time Min Do-jun left for reconnaissance.

The guild members gathered together, chatting.

The subject of their conversation was the absent Min Do-jun.

“You know, Do-jun seems like a good person, doesn’t he?”

“In what way?”

“He’s basically polite and takes initiative. Look, even now he went scouting for potential threats without anyone asking.”

“Yeah. If it were me, I wouldn’t have bothered moving at all.”

“Doesn’t he ever get tired? He moved the most during hunting.”

“He’s a damage dealer, surely he can’t have high stamina too?”

“But his damage output was incredible.”

“Right. His damage was absolutely insane.”

“How can he deal such damage at level 1,000?”

“Either he has amazing equipment or an S-rank trait. One of the two.”

“Or maybe both.”

“A B-rank hunter with high damage who even does reconnaissance on his own…”

“Partying with a hunter like that must be really comfortable. No life-threatening situations.”

“That’s why we’re able to chat so leisurely right now.”

Though it hadn’t even been a day since meeting Min Do-jun, everyone acknowledged his abilities.

He had become an indispensable ally in their party.

“Should we ask to party with him again next time?”

“Then I need to come too!”

“Me too.”

“M-me too, please!”

Everyone hoped to party with Min Do-jun.

They had personally experienced how comfortable and safe clearing would be with him.

“At first I couldn’t understand, but now I see why the Guild Master and Hunter Lee Se-yun tried so hard to recruit him.”

“Right. If it were me, I would’ve tried everything to make him join the guild too.”

“He really seems like a once-in-a-generation talented hunter.”

Though they were praising him in his absence, these were genuine compliments.

After chatting for about 30 minutes.

“He said he’d just scout around, but he’s taking quite long.”

“Surely he hasn’t lost his way?”

The team members huddled between the rocks looked outside worriedly.

It was already dark, but their night-adjusted vision allowed them to distinguish objects.

“Huh? What’s that?”

At that moment, leader Kim Jin-woo caught sight of something.

Something like fluorescent light appeared and disappeared.

“Everyone stay alert.”

Just as Kim Jin-woo stuck his head out with sword and shield ready.

WHAM-!

His body was sent flying by something.

“Captain!!!”

The startled team members hurriedly grabbed their weapons and rushed outside.

“Gasp!”

What they saw was a massive tiger with glowing fluorescent eyes.

GRRRRRR-

“W-what is that?”

“A Cat-eyed Tiger?”

They weren’t sure what it was, but it definitely wasn’t a normal Cat-eyed Tiger.

Its patterns were different, and its body was over six times larger.

“Ugh…”

Kim Jin-woo, who had been thrown far away, got up.

Thanks to blocking with his shield, he avoided what could have been a bone-breaking blow.

“Captain! Are you okay?”

At supporter Choi Da-hye’s question, Kim Jin-woo waved his hand dismissively.

“I’m fine. But everyone be careful. This thing’s strength is no joke.”

The party members gathered together, facing off against the massive beast.

“Where did this thing come from?”

“Could it be the boss?”

“That’s impossible. The Cat-eyed Tiger dungeon doesn’t have a boss.”

None of the party members had ever heard of a boss in the tiger dungeon.

Not just them, but hunters worldwide were the same.

This was because while the boss only appeared at night, hunters would cease activities and take shelter when darkness fell.

Due to the danger of fighting tigers using Rampage.

This was why they couldn’t know about the boss hiding in its den.

Though the boss would occasionally show itself like now, if hunters were eaten each time, it made sense that its existence remained unknown.

“No matter how you look at it, it seems like a boss…”

The beast before them exuded an intimidating presence that anyone would recognize as a boss.

“Ah, this is crazy.”

The party members, who had only planned to survive for 24 hours rather than face a boss, wore bewildered expressions.

“To suddenly have to fight an unknown boss…”

Being their first encounter, they had no idea what attacks or abilities it possessed.

It was especially burdensome since they hadn’t prepared for a boss fight at all.

“Don’t worry. It’s just the boss of the Cat-eyed Tigers.”

Kim Jin-woo tried to boost morale as a leader should.

“But why is it just standing there?”

“Yeah…”

Whether it intended to attack or not, the boss had been merely staring at them since earlier.

“If it’s not attacking, that’s good for us. Let’s go!”

As Kim Jin-woo charged forward, team members followed with weapons ready.

“RAAAAHHHH!!!”

When he used his taunt skill as usual, the boss looked at him.

“It worked! Now attack!”

Without needing instructions, the damage dealers had already moved in under the boss.

“Cut its legs first!”

The team members unleashed all their skills, focusing on one front leg.

GRRRROAAAR!

The boss, making cat-like sounds, tried to retreat stumbling, but.

CRACK-

The supporter’s tree roots bound its legs, forcing it to endure the attacks.

SLASH! SLASH!

SWISH- SWISH!

As they poured on damage with axes and daggers, the boss’s fluorescent eyes grew brighter.

GRRRROAAAR!

“Everyone back off! Something’s coming!”

The damage dealers quickly retreated at Kim Jin-woo’s command.

But contrary to expectations, the boss took no action.

“What? We got scared for nothing?”

“This thing’s not much. Everyone attack!”

“Wait!”

Despite Kim Jin-woo’s warning, the damage dealers began attacking the front leg again.

‘Why isn’t it counterattacking?’

Kim Jin-woo swung his sword following the damage dealers, wearing a suspicious expression.

The damage dealers also felt something was off.

“Why is its hide so tough?”

“We’ve been hitting it all this time but not a single drop of blood.”

Just as they noticed no damage was being dealt, the boss roared as if saying ‘took you long enough.’

GRRRROAAAR-

Then it swung its front paw.

WHAM!

One axe warrior was sent flying helplessly.

“Y-you bastard!”

The remaining damage dealer thrust their dagger with all their might, but still couldn’t pierce the skin.

GROAR-

The boss let out a growl as if being tickled, then moved to attack the damage dealer.

“RAAAAHHHH!!!”

Kim Jin-woo immediately used taunt.

“Good! Now run…”

The boss, which they thought had fallen for the taunt, turned its head and.

WHAM!

“Ugh!”

Slammed the damage dealer into a tree.

Only Kim Jin-woo and Choi Da-hye remained.

The two damage dealers seemed knocked unconscious from a single hit.

“W-what is this…”

The taunt didn’t work, and they couldn’t deal any damage at all.

GROAR-

The boss licked its attacked leg as if it had been ticklish.

‘Now!’

Thinking this distraction was his chance, Kim Jin-woo made a big jump.

‘If we can’t pierce its hide, we’ll attack its eyes!’

He planned to mount its head and stab its eyeballs.

There was no other way to win.

But before he could mount its head, the boss raised its head.

Grrrr-

Then with unprecedented speed, it struck Kim Jin-woo in mid-air.

WHAM-!

“Guh!”

Kim Jin-woo went tumbling across the ground.

Only Choi Da-hye remained standing, but she wasn’t one to just watch her companions suffer.

RUMBLE-

The ground shook and the area where the boss stood trembled violently.

Earthquake.

A skill that causes an earthquake in a certain area, dealing continuous damage while binding legs.

It was the most powerful support magic that Choi Da-hye, the supporter, could cast.

‘Good! Now you won’t be able to escape…’

But she had used it on the wrong target.

True to its feline nature, the boss easily maintained its balance even on the shaking ground.

And then.

Hop-

It escaped the area far too easily.

“Ah…”

Choi Da-hye’s plan to rescue her teammates while trapping the boss instantly crumbled.

“Ugh… Da-hye.”

Being the tank he was, Kim Jin-woo, who still had some strength left, approached while dragging his injured body.

“I’ll draw its attention, so at least you should escape.”

“Captain, I can’t…”

“Do you want us all to die here? We just need to survive 16 hours to make it back alive. So listen to me.”

“No! I’ll fight too…”

“Hurry!!!”

Only when he yelled with a frightening expression did Choi Da-hye slowly back away.

She wasn’t trying to run away.

‘I need to get Do-jun.’

Choi Da-hye thought of her savior.

He might be able to help in this desperate situation.

Watching her turn and run, Kim Jin-woo smiled faintly.

“Yes. Good thinking.”

She wasn’t running away but going to call Min Do-jun, though he hadn’t thought that far.

Whatever the case, she would be able to survive.

‘But why isn’t it moving even though its prey is escaping?’

Kim Jin-woo, who had expected it to chase after Choi Da-hye, couldn’t understand the boss’s leisurely behavior.

But his question was answered when Choi Da-hye returned moments later.

“Why did you come back when I told you to go?”

“Captain… we’re surrounded…”

“What?”

Looking around, they could see fluorescent eyes densely packed between the trees.

Cat-eyed Tigers.

There seemed to be about 50 of them by rough estimate.

“Haha…”

Kim Jin-woo laughed transcendently as he lowered his raised sword.

Now he understood.

Why the boss hadn’t given chase.

Why it had endured their attacks despite being able to counterattack.

“This damn beast was playing with us completely.”

There was no hope.

Seeing their eyes glowing fluorescent, they were all Cat-eyed Tigers in Rampage state.

They couldn’t handle fifty of these creatures when even one was overwhelming.

And that was with the boss included.

Grrrr-

The tigers narrowed the distance stealthily with their fierce glowing eyes.

It felt like this was truly the end.

That’s when it happened.

Whoosh-

BOOM!

Flames from somewhere incinerated one tiger.

Slash!

Simultaneously, another one died from an ambush.

GROOOOWL!

Three enraged tigers charged at the attacker but.

Slash- Slash!

They were instantly cut to pieces and vanished into smoke.

In less than ten seconds, five tigers had disappeared.

“Do-jun!”

Choi Da-hye shouted joyfully.

The person they had been looking for was right before their eyes.

“Was I too late?”

Seeing Min Do-jun approach, Kim Jin-woo found himself smiling involuntarily.

It felt like they had gained reliable reinforcement.

“Ah, this isn’t the time.”

Kim Jin-woo shook his head and said seriously.

“Do-jun. Could you buy us some time while I take care of the team members? Just a moment will do.”

Kim Jin-woo planned to wake up the unconscious damage dealers and escape together.

With Min Do-jun’s overwhelming damage, they could open a path.

But Min Do-jun’s answer was different from what he expected.

“That won’t be necessary.”

“What? Ah…”

Understanding his meaning, disappointment flashed across Kim Jin-woo’s face.

He interpreted Min Do-jun’s words as meaning there was no need to take care of their companions.

“We can’t leave our companions behind like this. If you could just draw their attention for a moment, I’ll somehow…”

“I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

Min Do-jun stepped forward and said.

“I’m not saying we’ll leave the companions behind, I’m saying there’s no need to go to the trouble of taking care of them.”

“What? What do you mean…”

Looking at the confused Kim Jin-woo, Min Do-jun said.

“Because I’ll handle all the beasts here, including the boss.”