Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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The ten hunters trapped in the dungeon decided to abandon their immediate goal and spend a day analyzing the maze.

“Fortunately, we’ve had enough trial and error to gather quite a bit of information.”

“…It seems we can see some patterns now. It’s certainly not an impossible labyrinth to break through using the correct method.”

If only they could figure out the right path, they would surely be able to go beyond it.

“The problem is the monsters that keep appearing.”

“To be honest, haven’t we already taken down over a hundred of them?”

“It’s clear that they’re being replenished somewhere regularly.”

There shouldn’t be more than a hundred monsters gathered in a mere C3 Rank Medium Dungeon.

To break through the maze, they first needed to solve that issue.

“…But isn’t there really no way to do that?”

The eldest among them, the fire mage Park Young-gil, spoke up.

“Don’t be ridiculous. We’ll find a way if we just keep pushing forward.”

“It’s not that simple! If there is really a Plant, we’d surely die with our current power.”

In the end, nothing was resolved.

The problems laid out before them seemed endless.

“Damn it.”

It was a vulgar exclamation, but frankly, everyone in the room shared that sentiment.

No matter which method they chose, the risk was exceedingly high.

In the end, they were left with just two choices: either risk their lives and make a special assault or quietly drain their supplies while waiting for a backup team with no assurance of their arrival.

“The backup team won’t come. As I said last time, there are no more talents in C Rank.”

Everyone nodded at that statement. However, Kim Seung-min and Seo Yoon-ah remained silent, showing subtle expressions.

After a brief pause, Kim Seung-min spoke up.

“There is someone. A talent.”

“What?”

“If we’re talking about skill alone, she’s probably the best among current C Ranks.”

“What do you mean? Is there really such a person?”

Kim Seung-min added a quick explanation to the confused reactions of his teammates. Hearing that, Park Young-gil gasped in admiration.

“Wow, if that’s true, that’s impressive. And you’re close to her? Then there’s a good chance the backup team might actually come!”

At that, Kim Seung-min stiffened his expression and spoke carefully.

“But there’s a problem.”

“What is it?”

“She has social anxiety, so she has trouble working in groups.”

“Huh?”

“…In simple terms, she can’t get along with people.”

Park Young-gil tilted his head in disbelief, questioning what he heard. Seeing that, Kim Seung-min continued to elaborate.

“She probably won’t come. Last I heard, she said her limit was a party of two.”

“What the hell, what kind of hunter is that? She’s just a hermit in her room.”

In the end, the conversation came back to square one.

As heavy silence lingered, this time Seo Yoon-ah spoke up.

“…Let’s go.”

At her words, everyone’s attention turned to her.

“You all know it. The backup team won’t come.”

“…….”

“We can’t just sit here waiting for death.”

That remark was reasonable. It didn’t make sense for those who prided themselves as talents in C Rank to perish so futilely.

Just then, the only injured member, Yoo Ha-eun, was also in a condition to move.

A strong sense of determination began to fill the eyes of every hunter present.

“Damn it. Let’s go for it.”

“If we keep just discussing this, nothing will change.”

“We should at least take action while we still can.”

In the end, a conclusion was reached.

The hunters decided to prepare for a special assault, taking all the risks upon themselves.

That’s when an unexpected event occurred.

“W-what’s going on?!”

The initial victim, Baek Seung-ho, who took it upon himself to keep watch, dashed in, reporting an unusual situation in the dungeon.

“The monsters! They’re all heading somewhere!”

“What?”

Upon checking, Baek Seung-ho’s words turned out to be true. It was as if they had disturbed a beehive; the monsters that roamed the passage gathered and began to move.

Moreover, they were heading in the opposite direction of where the party had aimed.

“This might be an opportunity.”

Everyone’s thoughts aligned.

Thus, the ten hunters immediately set off, readying themselves to find the boss room.

Finally, they managed to break through the tedious maze and discover the boss room.

“Alright! Isn’t this where it all ends?”

“Really, we’ve endured a decade’s worth. I didn’t expect such luck to come our way…”

Since the number of monsters in the passage had dropped to less than a third, the party could explore the end of the maze with little interference.

“Wow, who would have thought it’d come to this?”

“Isn’t this a sign that the heavens haven’t forsaken us?”

Even Park Young-gil, who had always maintained composure, couldn’t hide his excitement and let out a joke.

Without any hesitation, they opened the boss room door.

And there, they faced despair.

“Undead Call.”

We continued battling against the ceaselessly approaching monsters as we immediately headed toward the boss room.

Whoosh,

Slash.

Slash!

Raising the corpses of monsters, engaging in combat, and then replacing those who were damaged with new corpses.

It was a somewhat inefficient operation, but by choosing the quickest routes and minimizing combat, we managed to carve a path for ourselves.

“Gasp! Is the boss room still far away?!”

“…We’re almost there.”

Just ahead was the entrance to the boss room.

[Kieek!]
[Ki-shak!]

Ignoring the monsters chasing behind us, Yun So-ra, Jeon In-taek, and I opened the door to the boss room.

Clang.

Boom.

And there we were—

For some reason, we encountered the sight of the advance team surrounded in a circle, weapons drawn and bleeding.

“Hah. Uh, are you the rescue team that entered the dungeon before us?”

The advance team was just as flustered. They glared at us with distrust.

“…What the hell, who are you?”

“We’re the backup team! We had hoped to combine forces and endure until the Break, but… what happened?”

“A backup team? There really was one?”

But just as the reunion was touching, the man’s expression warped as he shouted at us.

“For now, you stay there! Absolutely do not scatter!”

“…Why?”

At Yoon So-ra’s question, the man gritted his teeth, swallowing his anger.

“Because there are things in here! Monsters in human skin!”

“What do you mean….”

Whoosh.

“They’re coming! Elder, don’t extinguish the flame!”

Suddenly, the boss room was engulfed in darkness.

The only thing illuminating the space within was the fireball magic conjured by the elderly hunter.

After a tense moment passed, the light returned.

Whoosh.

“…It keeps happening like this. The monster presumed to be the dungeon boss took advantage of the moment the visibility was obscured to infiltrate among us.”

“So, are you saying one of you is a monster?”

At Yoon So-ra’s words, Kim Seung-min nodded, his expression stern.

“We’ve already had two fatalities. If we consider that someone among us is the boss in disguise, it’s fair to say three.”

Now that he mentioned it, while there were no bodies, a considerable number of bloodstains were scattered around. They presumably belonged to those already slain.

The man who first spoke up started again.

“We need to protect the elder! If visibility completely vanishes, it’s all over. That thing is strong enough to kill one of us in an instant and hide its body.”

The elderly man, appearing to be the fire mage, was the current lifeline of the party. I shuddered at the shocking nature of that situation.

‘Kim Seung-min must not die…’

No, he might already be dead.

But there was nothing I could do at the moment.

With so many people gathered, just watching was almost dizzying.

‘…The ring has already been used.’

Right now, I was just a mere spectator.

The fact that I hadn’t been able to utter even a word until now proved that.

In the midst of all this, I felt something off.

‘…This is a bit odd.’

Gaining courage, I slowly scanned the people in the boss room, which immediately turned my stomach and made my head spin.

However, even amidst that confusion, there was one person. Someone I could meet without too much discomfort.

I pondered on memories of past days.

Those who I had evaded as targets of my side effects.

My younger sister Seo Ha, Returner Baek Ha-min, and various insects or animals that weren’t human.

Excluding them, only one target remained.

It was none other than the monsters of the dungeon.

‘They clearly said there are no returners in C Rank.’

That made this situation quite suspicious.

I hesitated to approach the hunters for confirmation.

“Hey! Stay back! It’s dangerous!”

There was a bit of distance, but I could now discern things with more clarity than before.

Indeed, there was one person with whom I felt no discomfort in making eye contact.

That person was the elderly man who had been conjuring fireballs among our ranks.

‘…….’

The moment I looked at the man, I was convinced he was the monster. There was no need for persuasion. After all, none would believe such a ridiculous claim anyway.

Whoosh!

Thud!

Fwoosh!

I suddenly hurled my sword and sank it deep into the old man’s brow.

He bled profusely and collapsed to the ground, and the hunters were engulfed in shock at my sudden action.

“Y-you crazy!”

“What on earth are you doing?!”

“That guy! Isn’t he a monster?!”

However, the three of us from the backup team had just come in from the outside after facing the boss, so it was highly unlikely that he was a threat.

They had not let their guard down the moment the lights went out, so the possibility was almost nonexistent.

The hunters were at a loss for words, trapped in cognitive dissonance.

“What the hell! What is this? Why did you kill the elder?!”

“…Th-that’s the culprit.”

At my barely uttered words, the hunters looked at the fallen old man, each mumbling in confusion.

“Are you saying Park the elder is a monster?”

“I never sensed anything of the sort…”

“How can you be so sure?”

There wasn’t any solid evidence. I merely trusted my own judgment.

‘Now that my identity has been exposed, a reaction should come soon.’

After waiting for about a minute, however, the fallen elder didn’t even stir.

The curious gazes of the hunters began to turn towards me one by one.

T-this can’t be!

“No way! What are you going to do now? There’s no one else to illuminate the room but that elder!”

“What are you thinking? If we survive, we will report you to the Association!”

The atmosphere was increasingly heated; some among the advance team had already drawn their weapons, glaring at me.

Unable to bear those gazes, I stepped back and quickly began casting.

“U-undead call.”
Whoosh!

Fwoosh!

[Grrahhhh!]

The sudden appearance of the Skeleton Masher caused the hunters to retreat in surprise.

“You’ve revealed your true colors!”

“How did you manage to switch forms in such a short time?”

And in that gap, I quickly commanded one of the Skeleton Mashers.

“Go, attack.”

Whoosh!

Crack!

As the Masher lifted its weapon to strike down the old man’s corpse, the hunters fell into shock.

“W-what the hell.”

“How can this be…!”

However, they soon had to harden their expressions for entirely different reasons.

“……”

The old man, who they thought was surely dead, was now staring back at them with glowing blue eyes, effortlessly blocking the Masher’s attack with one hand.

As if stretching like a cat, the elderly man grotesquely turned his head, suddenly shifting his expression as he spoke.

“…How did you find out?”

The moment the dungeon boss of the C3 Rank Special Dungeon finally revealed its true form.