Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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“I-I can’t believe this…!”

Vice President Joshua was speechless at the scene unfolding before him.

‘Is this really what it is?’

In fact, the U.S. had assessed Lee Ji Cheol’s maximum potential to be around the S Rank Mid-Low Tier.

And that was a level that the Hunters from the Special Operations Department who had come along could easily manage.

However, seeing it with his own eyes, the battle prowess was completely different from what the analysis team had provided. One could say that the Lee Ji Cheol of the past and the current Lee Ji Cheol were almost like two different people.

“Ku, kuhuk…!”

“Is this the end of your escort? Quite unimpressive indeed.”

The guard he had trusted, Zenon, was already in a completely incapacitated state and unable to move.

Moreover, not only was Lee Ji Cheol present, but also Baek Seo Ha, who had come with him.

She was a Hunter close to S Rank too, and if she preserved her power, she would be a formidable opponent.

In the end, Joshua had no choice but to resign himself to letting the two enter the Gate.

“Even if you go there, nothing will change. Your skills were beyond what I expected, but it’s the same for the Hunters inside as well. Are you really going to turn your back on the U.S.?”

“…How many times do I have to say it? My sister didn’t do anything wrong. We’re just doing what we have to do.”

Jitztz.

Whooosh.

With that, Baek Seo Ha and Lee Ji Cheol entered into the Gate.

As they were enveloped in light and the surrounding scenery changed, Lee Ji Cheol suddenly paused and turned to Baek Seo Ha.

“I guess I should tell you this before we run into those guys.”

“…What is it?”

“To be honest, I didn’t intend to bring you along. I thought you were still too weak to jump into a battlefield filled with S Ranks.”

That statement was definitely true.

Baek Seo Ha was still an A Rank Upper Tier Hunter; naturally, she fell short against the U.S. strategy team.

If she were to get seriously injured in the upcoming battle, Lee Ji Cheol wouldn’t know how to face Baek Eun Ha.

“Then why didn’t you oppose me?”

In response to Baek Seo Ha’s puzzled question, Lee Ji Cheol changed his expression to a serious one and answered.

“I’ve been gathering information on Korean Hunters consistently until recently. Given the circumstances, it was necessary.”

“…….”

“I’d always thought that was strange.”

Upon hearing that, Baek Seo Ha realized what Lee Ji Cheol was implying.

“When you first appeared, you displayed a growth rate almost capable of rewriting the records of nearly all Hunters worldwide. But at a certain point, that growth seemed to vanish.”

“…That kind of case isn’t exceptionally rare, is it?”

“Right. So initially, I thought it was just a simple stagnation.”

Lee Ji Cheol’s gaze sharpened as it slowly honed in on Baek Seo Ha.

“However, seeing you up close, it felt odd. You acted as if you had no interest in that slowdown in growth. For a Hunter who always risks their life in battle, it should be a sensitive issue.”

“…….”

“Especially, I became certain when I saw you at the banquet the other day.”

Even in a moment of high tension, Baek Seo Ha felt an unsettling calmness about her.

Her usual judgment was rational and cold, making it even more suspicious. It was as if her instincts didn’t register the situation as a crisis.

“Could it be that you are deliberately hiding your power?”

Having watched Baek Seo Ha since her rookie days, Lee Ji Cheol had come to this realization.

Baek Eun Ha, who was often oblivious to the inner thoughts of those around her, might not have realized it, but Lee Ji Cheol was convinced that Baek Seo Ha was hiding something.

And he was right in that judgment.

“…Yes. In a way, you are correct.”

Baek Seo Ha candidly admitted the truth. It might be a different form than what Lee Ji Cheol thought, but she certainly had a card up her sleeve that she had kept hidden all this time.

“So I want to verify that. After all, it’s going to be a tough fight, and knowing a teammate’s true abilities will be beneficial for the battle.”

But that was too much to ask.

Baek Seo Ha firmly shook her head and replied to Lee Ji Cheol.

“No. I can’t use it here.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you would get hurt.”

At her words, a significant silence fell between the two.

Baek Seo Ha turned her gaze away, opening her status window to pull up information on a particular skill.

【Restriction: Path of the Fallen】

▶ Limits one’s growth to expand the vessel of the body. The more battles experienced, the greater the stored power grows, and upon lifting the restriction, a sudden surge of growth occurs.

– This skill disappears after the first use.

– Upon lifting the restriction, it releases tremendous power proportional to the accumulated experience.

After a brief silence, Lee Ji Cheol took the lead and began to move forward.

“I understand. Then let’s consider ourselves at equal power.”

With that, Baek Seo Ha nodded in agreement and naturally followed behind him.

‘…….’

Though she felt her explanation was lacking, she saw no need to add more words now.

After all, the timing to use it had already been set.

#

Kieeeh─!

Wooom.

“Team 2, fall back and remain vigilant for ambushes! Do not stop scanning below the ground! Team 1, deal with the last two bodies as planned!”

Facing the assault of seven Red Worms, the leader of the strategy team, Jacob, hurriedly assessed the situation and issued commands to the Hunters.

‘Damn, this is really tough.’

After all, this was an S Rank Large Dungeon. To just walk down the path and encounter seven giant worms was quite something.

Even though their overall power was overwhelmingly in their favor, they were losing unnecessary stamina due to the resilient life force of the creatures.

‘Well, even so, the fighting force in this strategy team is three times that of the incident seven years ago. We might absorb some losses, but clearing the dungeon should be possible.’

So then, the problem lay with Chae Hwa In. Jacob, too, was one of those who had attacked Chae Hwa In in the past, so he couldn’t help but be concerned.

‘What exactly is she after?’

Of course, no one would trust the words of a ghost that was already dead, but if they didn’t deal with her as soon as possible, they couldn’t predict what trouble it might bring.

Because of that, Jacob had already finished speaking separately with Mikael and Foden, who were involved in the incident from seven years ago.

If they found Chae Hwa In, they were to dispose of her immediately without the chance to mention any past events.

‘Three together shouldn’t be a problem…’

But he had no idea where she might be hiding in this dungeon, so for the time being, he needed to conserve as much strength as possible.

Jacob commanded the gathered Hunters from foreign lands, leading them steadily deeper into the dungeon.

Meanwhile, reports came in from a few A Rank Hunters assigned for scouting.

“12 o’clock! Two Red Worms are emerging above ground! And at 10 o’clock, three Flame Scorpions are also visible!”

“Same positioning as before! Let’s ask the Saintess for another blessing.”

“Yes. Understood.”

Whooosh.

With the blessing of Saintess Yesiel, which enhances all abilities, the strategy team surrounded themselves, and they faced the monsters with their promised maneuvers.

However, during that process, Jacob felt an odd sense of discomfort.

‘It’s not just my imagination. They seem stronger than before.’

Even for the same species, there is often a difference in strength between those at the entrance of the dungeon and those deeper inside.

However, the strategy team hadn’t even escaped the entrance yet, making it a bit peculiar to encounter this difference already.

“All Red Worms have been taken care of.”

“…The same here. These ones have tougher shells than the ones we faced previously.”

It definitely wasn’t a misunderstanding. Yet, it wasn’t serious enough to warrant major concern. Jacob chose to ignore it and pushed forward with the strategy team.

‘…I can’t waste time here unnecessarily.’

Because of this, he didn’t notice that what they had just faced were sacrificial pawns deliberately placed to assess the strategy team’s strength.

“It doesn’t seem to be a multi-layer structure, but let’s push as far as we can without getting stuck.”

There was a need to be wary of Chae Hwa In, who might be somewhere in the desert, but the progress of the large dungeon’s assault was most crucial on the first day while their strength was still high, so they had no choice.

Thus, Jacob led the Hunters forward without hesitation.

And this time, he could certainly feel a distinct sense of discomfort.

‘What the hell is with this dungeon?’

No matter how he thought about it, something felt off. Especially the monsters’ behavior patterns.

Based on his previous experience clearing S Rank Large Dungeons, by this point, the monsters should have already recognized the presence of intruders and begun sharing information to show more active and intelligent movements.

But look at the current situation—it was as if they were merely puppets moving in a blind, uniform manner.

After another battle, Jacob suddenly stopped moving.

And within the strategy team, those who had shared the same concerns began to speak up.

“Isn’t this a bit strange?”

“There’s quite a difference from what we heard. We need to be careful.”

“…Yes, the duo over there might be pulling some tricks.”

However, what happened next was something they could never have anticipated.

Crrrrr.

Wooom.

Swoosh.

Sssssss.

“W-What the….”

“Everyone be careful!”

The monsters that had just been slain by the Hunters, lying on the ground moments ago, suddenly began to rise as if they had been acting all along.

Then, laughing mockingly at the confused strategy team, they gathered and vanished to the north.

“……”

At the strange sight, the Hunters of the strategy team could not utter a single word.