2.
The sound of the insect's wings flapping spread an ear-piercing shrill that felt like it would tear one's eardrums.
Its size was so enormous that even its mere attack could be considered dangerous.
Buuuuuuuuuung——!
The sharp sound of its wings.
Its head had sharp mandibles sticking out like pincers, and a venomous stinger that glistened ominously at the end of its abdomen.
Its arms, resembling the legs of a praying mantis, were as sharp as sickles.
A Giant Killer Bee.
Despite being a level 60 monster, it preferred to live in groups, making it one of the least hunted creatures around.
But even they...
Were powerless against overwhelming numbers.
Swoosh! Squeak!
The wings and neck of the Giant Killer Bees were effortlessly severed by the swords of the Skeleton Warriors as they plunged to the ground.
The Skeleton Warriors, like farmers harvesting crops, merely swung their swords as if it were routine.
With every swing, two or three of the bees would fall to the ground.
If they didn’t die from the fall, Goblin Undead and Ghoul monsters would immediately appear to take their lives.
Seong observed this indifferently, as if it was nothing extraordinary.
“...Is this really right?”
“...Were Giant Killer Bees always this weak of monsters~?”
“...No way, that can’t be true.”
“...I’m at a loss for words.”
Only the Luna Team, watching from the sidelines, seemed stunned.
Was hunting always this easy?
All four of them marveled at the spectacle.
Then, as the Giant Killer Bees rose again as death soldiers, things became even easier.
With airborne units joining the fray, the bees were swept away like a massacre.
They thought they were hunting more easily than others, but this was on a completely different level.
How many had they hunted by now?
A radiant white light began to emanate from Seong's body.
The effect was all too familiar.
[Level Up!]
Despite leveling up, Seong didn’t particularly feel any joy.
It had become so routine for him that it barely even registered anymore.
“Hmmm.”
More important than the level up, Seong turned his attention to the Giant Killer Bees.
The Giant Killer Bee with a soul was the same level as a thirty-level one created by Add More.
Would that be enough?
Seong counted them mentally and nodded his head.
Seems like it’s fine.
“Shall we head for the raid then?”
“...Yeah, let’s go.”
Luna responded absentmindedly, while the others didn’t even manage to reply.
Could it be because they had fought directly?
The remaining three didn’t say a word, merely nodding their heads in agreement.
Seong, having been briefed beforehand, headed toward the location where Anemore was situated.
It wasn’t far from here, so it didn’t take long.
Upon arrival, as expected, people sporting various prestigious guild emblems were lined up.
Seong didn’t recognize the emblems, but he could clearly sense the strength among them.
‘There are a lot of skilled people here.’
Skill could be inferred just from observing minor gestures and habits.
Though, there was no one here stronger than Luna Team.
As Seong and the Luna Team arrived, whispers began to spread throughout the crowd.
“Oh, it’s the Rapid Guild.”
“Hm, how many times have they tried this now?”
“Fifth time. But it’s still Phase 1.”
“Still, they say they’ve lasted the longest here and dealt the most damage?”
“That’s true. After all, it’s the Rapid Guild with the Luna Team.”
Voices acknowledging them filled the air.
Seong couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride as he overheard.
Being recognized as part of such a guild felt... uplifting.
Then, as Seong joined, some of the players started chattering.
Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.
“But there’s a new member?”
“Who is he? I don’t think I’ve seen him before.”
“Ah! Wait! Isn’t that the Demon King? The new Rapid Guild rookie!”
“Ah! The Demon King!?”
“Damn, aren’t we going to get wrecked this time?!”
“I heard that apart from Luna, the other three lost to the Demon King in the village earlier...”
“Rapid Guild again, huh. Sigh.”
With Seong’s arrival, most people couldn’t help but feel tense.
The name ‘Demon King’ was known by nearly everyone in Rapid Guild.
However, as his fame had waned a bit, a few people started mocking him.
“Tch, he’s just a coward who avoided the strongholds of the past.”
“Yeah, compared to that Seonghyun, he’s just an ordinary man.”
“Still, he won’t be able to break Anemore. Will they even make it past Phase 2?”
Words laced with envy and jealousy.
But Luna Team was perplexed.
How did they know the name Seong?
They didn’t understand what they meant by avoiding past strongholds.
They couldn’t make sense of it.
Though they were curious, they didn’t ask.
It wasn’t the time to be asking such questions.
Asking would only give them ammunition to mock him further.
So they kept silent.
Seong, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered, instead casually turning to his team members.
“Hmmm, do we just wait here for our turn?”
“Ah, yes. We wait for our number here.”
“It’s similar to a popular dungeon.”
Longfeng added, and Seong understood right away.
Having experienced it at the Tomb of Rocks before, Seong knew that there were many symbols, though not too many different kinds.
As expected, Luna went to the front and returned with what seemed like a ticket number.
“There are four teams ahead of us, and we're fifth.”
“Quite a few today.”
“Exactly~”
“...Damn, looks like we’ll be stuck here for a while.”
“Oho.”
If even four teams are ahead, it’s definitely going to take a while. They decided to wait leisurely.
Suddenly, as Seong was about to ask how long it would take, Luna spoke up first, but in a soft voice so others wouldn’t hear.
“If there are four teams, it should take around 30 to 40 minutes. On average, it takes less than 10 minutes to handle Anemore.”
“Ah, thanks.”
It seemed like it wouldn’t take as long as he had thought. Seong would be fine passing the time, even if it might be a little boring. A bit of conversation would make time fly by.
As Seong considered talking, he noticed that everyone had gone completely silent.
“...?”
Seong didn’t catch on at first, but after seeing how others had been thoroughly defeated, it was hard to just strike up a conversation.
Luna Team wasn’t an exception either. Everyone stayed quiet, like a mouse in hiding.
Seong waited in silence as well. It wasn’t like they had to talk.
“...So, is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“...Hm?”
Luna suddenly asked a question, catching Seong by surprise. He had assumed everyone was silent because they didn’t want to talk.
Seeing Seong’s surprise, Luna seemed startled herself, wondering if she shouldn’t have asked.
“Ah, um, well, I do have a few questions.”
“Ah! Feel free to ask.”
“Thanks. Well, do you usually team up when you hunt?”
Since Luna encouraged him to ask, Seong did so without hesitation. Luna paused for a moment, then shook her head.
“No, we don’t always team up. We mainly group up for raids or tough hunting grounds, like party-play dungeons.”
“Oh.”
It certainly seemed better than randomly forming parties.
If Seong wanted to enter a dungeon, he could ask for help, right?
Seong thought about it and glanced at the other three team members. Usually, hunting in a party is the norm, but not for them.
Given their skills, it was probably more efficient for them to hunt solo.
Wasn’t that true for Seong as well?
‘If there are dungeons where party play is forced, I should try to bring it up.’
This is the benefit of being in a guild, after all. Why hadn’t he thought of this sooner?
Now that he had reached his second class change and with so many guild members available, it would be useful for later when forming parties.
While Seong was pondering this, Hwa-Wol suddenly spoke up.
“Are you an Almighty rank class, then?”
It was a somewhat rude question. In most games, asking about someone’s class rank was considered impolite.
But Hwa-Wol, clearly curious, couldn’t resist asking.
And then she added:
“...If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine.”
“Heh?”
“Oh?”
“Wait, what?”
Hwa-Wol’s awkwardness surprised the others, including Luna, Elzahar, and Longfeng, who all stared at her in disbelief. Usually, people were blunt, but this was a whole new side to her.
It seemed like Hwa-Wol really respected Seong.
Everyone was surprised, and Hwa-Wol, feeling embarrassed, quickly turned her face away.
Seong, noticing her discomfort, responded casually.
“Well, I’m part of the team, so sharing info is natural. Yes, I’m currently at Almighty rank.”
“...T-thank you...”
Hwa-Wol, stunned by his response, unknowingly expressed her gratitude, even using honorifics.
Everyone, except Seong, was surprised by her reaction, but they didn’t press the issue, as it might lead to more awkwardness.
Curious, Seong turned to Hwa-Wol and asked:
“So, Hwa-Wol... right? Your class is a melee archer, right?”
“...Yes, you can think of it as being the opposite of other archers. My rank is Unique+.”
“Oho.”
Seong gave a brief compliment, and Elzahar chimed in.
“Hm~ I’m a Binding Sorcerer. The more I bind or restrain, the stronger my mana or magic becomes. My rank is also Unique+, just like Hwa-Wol.”
“Ah, so that’s why you used binding frost magic on yourself earlier, Elzahar. Those were some powerful spells.”
“Heh~? But it didn’t even work against your Skeleton Mage.”
“Thanks. But those were really strong spells. Our three mages barely managed to block them together.”
“Hm~”
Seong’s compliment seemed to lift Elzahar’s mood, as he stretched out and smiled lazily.
Having introduced Hwa-Wol and Elzahar, Longfeng didn’t want to be left out.
But given that he had started a bit of a quarrel earlier, he seemed a bit embarrassed.
“Ahem, I’m Longfeng. I’m a failure rogue. I stack up attacks or dodges to build up power, and with those stacks, I can enhance other skills. My rank is... Unique.”
“Oho, so you can enhance stealth skills too?”
“Hmm, exactly.”
“Enhancing stealth sounds like it would make for some powerful combos.”
“Hahaha! You get it, huh?”
Longfeng cheered up at Seong’s remark, his enthusiasm unrestrained.
Finally, Seong looked at Luna.
“...Ah, um, I... I’m...”
“...?”
Seong was a bit puzzled at how Luna hesitated so long before speaking.
Everyone else had shared their classes, so did Luna not want to?
Not that it mattered much, but before he could let it slide, Luna finally spoke.
“Um, I’m... a Legendary rank, called the First Barbarian Warrior.”
“Oh? I see.”
Seong was genuinely impressed. A Legendary rank class was just below Almighty, after all.
Elzahar, finding it amusing, explained further.
“Hm~ Our team leader? We call her ‘Exposed Warrior’ among ourselves.”
“...?”
The odd name caught Seong off guard.
Exposed Warrior? Did she have to expose herself for it to work?
Seong, lost in thought, was suddenly interrupted as Hwa-Wol continued.
“...As the name suggests, the more skin that’s exposed, the more her attack and defense stats are buffed.”
“...I see?”
“Ha ha ha! That’s why our prim and proper team leader always wears that robe!”
Seong couldn’t help but glance at Luna, whose face had turned beet red.
He couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was under that robe.
‘I’d better make sure I handle things solo to avoid making this any more awkward.’
As Luna squinted her eyes in embarrassment, Seong noticed the internal conflict she was having.
‘What if they think I’m some kind of pervert?’
After that, no one spoke much more, all too embarrassed, quietly waiting for their turn.
Finally, their time came.