‘Hmm?’
A familiar, seductive voice seemed to brush past his ears.
Though it wasn’t clear enough to make out, Seong was momentarily distracted by the thought.
Still, his attention quickly returned to the matter at hand. The realization that this was a hidden raid rather than just a dungeon made him pause.
But was it because he’d have to do it solo?
That wasn’t it.
Seong had only one real concern.
“Shouldn’t I livestream a hidden raid like this?”
The thought struck him.
Even though his last livestream’s performance and revenue hadn’t been fully tallied yet, the idea of missing the opportunity to stream such a significant event seemed strange.
However, since starting a livestream wasn’t entirely up to him, Seong decided to reach out to Rapid.
[Seong: Guild Leader Rapid, are you available right now?]
Rapid, ever meticulous about maintaining professionalism, responded quickly, though with a hint of irritation.
[Rapid: I’m swamped because of someone right now! Anyway, what is it?]
The reply left it unclear whether she had time or not. After pondering for a moment, Seong sent another message.
[Seong: Oh, I see. Well, I think I’m about to do a hidden raid. Should I start the livestream immediately?]
[Rapid: What? A livestream? Right now? Wait, what? Hold on.]
It seemed Rapid didn’t quite process his words initially.
Before Seong could clarify, another message came in.
[Rapid: Wait, are you saying you’re about to start a livestream?]
[Seong: Yes, in about 30 minutes. Or now, it’s probably closer to 25 minutes. If it’s too sudden, I can just record it and send it over as a video later.]
[Rapid: Uh... livestreaming... right now... is tough. We don’t have anyone available immediately. Even if we scramble, it’d take at least 50 minutes to get things set up. Our guild’s video team is stretched thin. We haven’t even finished processing the footage you sent us yesterday.]
Seong realized just how busy things were for the guild.
The mention of limited video team resources jogged his memory.
He recalled his recent conversation with his friend Lee Geon-dong over drinks, where Geon-dong had mentioned wanting to break into video editing.
The timing couldn’t have been better.
Although Rapid was casual with Seong in conversations, she was strict when it came to work. Seong carefully broached the idea.
[Seong: In that case, what if my friend, who’s getting into video editing, worked on this footage? I could send over the raw and edited versions. If it works, maybe he could freelance for the guild?]
[Rapid: Hmm, the reason we’re short on staff is that we only hire pros. If your friend sends a polished edit, it’d be helpful, but there’s no guarantee it’ll be accepted. Are you okay with that?]
Typically, anyone working with the guild would go through a rigorous vetting process. But given the current workload, Rapid seemed willing to make an exception, albeit reluctantly.
Still, she warned Seong that there was no guarantee his friend’s work would be accepted.
Seong didn’t mind.
[Seong: Of course. If his edit isn’t up to par, we can treat it as a failed interview. No hard feelings.]
[Rapid: Alright. Just give us more notice next time if you want to stream. Even if we can’t pull it off immediately, we’ll be better prepared.]
[Seong: Got it. Thanks for your time.]
[Rapid: No problem. Take care.]
As the conversation ended, Seong smiled to himself.
He could help his friend while testing his own limits.
“First, though, I’ll need to record an amazing raid.”
This time, Seong intended to take things seriously.
He mused about making the video particularly dynamic, perhaps even introducing his subordinates as part of the footage.
“We haven’t practiced coordinating as a team, but they’re all skilled enough to make it work.”
With that thought, Seong found his earlier boredom replaced with excitement as he awaited the raid’s start.
Thirty minutes flew by.
6.
The master of the village, the so-called Master of Enchantment, surveyed her vast lair, eagerly awaiting the arrival of her next sacrifice.
Lately, the quality of offerings from the village had been disappointing. But this time, the powerful aura emanating from the incoming prey filled her with anticipation.
Her massive body trembled with excitement, her antennae twitching.
A faint pink mist began to swirl from her back, filling the cavern with an overwhelming, oppressive aura.
The previous offering had been delicious, but this one was different.
An outsider, they called it?
The thought of consuming such a rare delicacy caused her to salivate profusely, her grotesque form dripping with eager anticipation.
Consuming this sacrifice would undoubtedly deepen her enchanting powers.
Once perfected, she could truly earn the title of Master of Enchantment.
The wait within her secluded cave had been long, but she believed it was worth it.
The cave itself only opened for a short period each day, a peculiar feature that both protected and restricted her.
Though she longed to roam the outside world freely, she knew she wasn’t ready.
Not yet.
Patience was necessary.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the long-awaited sound echoed through the cavern.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu—!!!
The cave began to open.
It was time to feast.
But the Master of Enchantment had no idea.
This time, she wasn’t the hunter—she was the prey.
7.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu—!!!
A sound like an earthquake echoed as rocks scraped together, and soon, a massive opening appeared in the distant cliffside.
It was more than just a cave—it was a gaping hole so enormous it seemed as if the cliff itself had collapsed.
From this opening, a pink mist billowed forth, and a massive, snake-like figure began to emerge.
Its body, long and sinuous like a serpent, wriggled with an almost fluid motion.
Yet, what made it horrifying were the thousands, if not tens of thousands, of twitching appendages lining its body.
At the end of this grotesque form, where one might expect a mouth, instead, there were long, writhing antennae twisting in unsettling patterns.
Upon seeing this abomination, Seong couldn't help but think to himself:
“Wow. Good thing we couldn’t livestream this.”
Even for Seong, who didn’t particularly find these kinds of things disgusting, the creature’s appearance was enough to make his skin crawl.
Thousands of legs clinging to its body, dripping venom from its fangs—it was truly revolting.
The true identity of the so-called Master of Enchantment was none other than a massive centipede.
A powerful one at that.
When the creature revealed its full form, its body stretched as long as an entire village.
Pink mist spewed from the countless holes covering its body, clearly emanating the aura of enchantment.
[Hidden Raid Boss 『Master of Enchantment, Miragine』 has appeared!]
[The Hidden Raid will begin shortly.]
!!! WARNING !!!
You are not in a party!!!
This is extremely dangerous!!!
Even during the Crescentra raid, which was also a Hidden Raid Boss, no such warnings had appeared.
For it to give such a severe alert now meant the enemy was incredibly powerful.
This only made Seong smile more.
As Seong prepared for the raid, he noticed that Irmi had yet to realize what was happening.
With both arms raised high, Irmi shouted reverently toward the Master of Enchantment:
“Oh, great Master of Enchantment! Please accept the offering we have prepared for you!!!”
It was almost laughable.
Clicking his tongue in pity, Seong muttered:
“Selling out a person like this... what a shame.”
“W-What?! Y-You?! But you drank the beverage—!”
“It’s over. Hey, guys.”
At Seong’s command, the three subordinates who had been hidden up until now revealed themselves.
Irmi’s eyes widened in shock.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
How could they have appeared so suddenly?
As Irmi stood frozen in disbelief, Miragine, the Master of Enchantment, turned her antennae toward him.
Clearly displeased by Irmi’s failure to properly enchant the offering, the massive centipede displayed her displeasure in the most explicit way possible.
She vomited a corrosive liquid straight at him.
Kwoooooosh!!!
“AAAAHHH! N-No! Save me—!”
Before Irmi could even finish his sentence, his body began dissolving in the acidic venom.
Seong, who had no intention of saving him, simply watched.
Even lifting a finger would’ve been pointless—this was clearly an event cutscene.
It seemed designed to show off the boss’s attributes.
“Looks like poison isn’t going to work here.”
Seong concluded that poison-based combos wouldn’t be effective against this opponent.
After assessing his options, Seong activated one of his skills, his eyes narrowing with determination.
It was time to hunt.
With a snap of his fingers, the bright sun overhead dimmed, eclipsed by a black sun that rose in its place.
Darkness engulfed the area, and black flames rained down from the black sun, scorching Miragine’s massive body.
“Sksssssssss!!!”
Though the flames didn’t seem to cause severe pain, they clearly annoyed her.
As she writhed in irritation, Seong opened the Gate of the Netherworld.
From it emerged Anemore and Kalisha.
Though he only intended to summon those two, the gate widened, and out stepped Baltar, his crimson skin gleaming, with the elderly Drakanos perched on his back.
“Huh? Are they supposed to be here?”
Seong raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Before he could question it further, he heard Drakanos’s faint mutterings.
Though incomprehensible, they carried a weight of authority.
Turning to Baltar for an explanation, Seong asked:
“What’s going on?”
“Lord, Master Drakanos has declared that he will assist you personally.”
“...What?”
Seong didn’t know what to address first.
Why was Drakanos being called a master?
Had he always been a master?
And more importantly—why was he offering to help?
“Well, uh...”
Seong hesitated, wondering if the most helpful thing Drakanos could do was rest.
But before he could voice his thoughts, Drakanos bowed his head respectfully toward him.
The frail elder slowly descended from Baltar’s back.
With a short, single-edged sword in hand, he stepped forward, offering the weapon in its sheath.
Meanwhile, Miragine, with all her appendages, charged toward Seong, unleashing a torrent of corrosive venom in his direction.
Kagagagagaga—!!!
Seong doubted Drakanos, who looked like he might collapse at any moment, could do anything.
Preparing a follow-up plan just in case, Seong watched as the other subordinates—Baltar included—stood silently, their eyes filled with anticipation rather than worry.
“What’s going on? Does he actually have something up his sleeve?”
Intrigued, Seong decided to wait and see.
Swish—!!!
As Miragine surged forward, her venom and fangs leading the charge, Drakanos unsheathed his sword.
And in that instant, he vanished.
Ssssss—!!!
A sound like a blade slicing through the air filled the space.
When Drakanos reappeared, he was standing atop Miragine’s massive body.
Shhhhhk—!
Shhhrrrrkkk—!!!
KWAJIJIJIJIJI—!!!
“Sksssssssss!!!”
Miragine let out an ear-piercing shriek as her thick, armored shell split open.
Pink mist mixed with venomous blood erupted like a geyser from the gash.
“What the hell...?”