"It's coming!" Yusin shouted as the surface of the water grew turbulent and the glacier began to shake. Everyone lowered their stance, bracing for the impact.

'SWOOOOOOOSH!'

A mountain-sized spray of water erupted from the churning sea. From within, a massive figure over three meters tall leaped out and landed on the glacier.

-Tower Master! It's a rank-4 latis yeti!

It was a bizarre creature, with white fur sprouting from between fish-like scales. Its face was devoid of pupils, and its mouth was empty of teeth. Webbed claws adorned its palms and soles.

'KRAWR!'

As the latis yeti roared, water spouted from all directions, revealing more monsters—smaller, infant yetis.

"There are too many of them!" Heejong yelled.

Nearly a hundred of them swarmed onto the ice. The latis yeti stood back as its young surrounded the intruders.

"Let's even the odds a bit," Yusin said, stepping forward and activating the bracer on his arm. Golem balls shot out from his sleeve, rolling across the slippery surface. "I'll be putting these to good use again, Eunsol."

"Okay!" she chirped.

Yusin closed his eyes and uttered the command. 'Activate all.'

The scattered golem balls clattered to life. Mud sprayed out as mana blueprints and magic stones floated into the air. Mana sparked and crackled, shaping the mud into solid forms.

"Wh-What are those now?" Heejong stammered.

"It's okay. They're on our side," Bora assured him.

On the pure white ice, an army of mud golems rose to their feet.

-Golem control secured. Commencing control.

The young yetis rushed forward in a chaotic swarm. In response, Ea moved dozens of golems to intercept them. The golems formed a defensive line and began to beat down the charging yetis with their powerful fists.

'Crunch! Crack!'

The white glacier began to turn red. Heejong watched the scene in disbelief. "A summoner? Or a tamer? But this number is just…"

Yoonji, who had been in a constant state of shock, could only laugh helplessly. With its third floor unlocked, the Magic Tower would no longer be outmatched in terms of manpower.

"Hah!" Bora began pulling potions from her subspace and throwing them. The seemingly random vials adjusted their trajectory like guided missiles, exploding in the most densely packed groups of yetis.

Anytime the golem's defensive line weakened, Seojin personally leaped in to cover the gap. The tide of battle turned dramatically wherever he went. The sight of the bespectacled Iron Man, his face splattered with blood as he tore monsters apart, was nothing short of terrifying.

Eunsol also joined the fight, summoning her custom golem. It wasn't a mass-produced mud golem, but a one-of-a-kind iron golem made of metal, which she piloted from within. Monsters struck by its fists crumpled like crushed cans.

"What are you two doing?!" Bora shouted over her shoulder. "We amateurs are working this hard, and you pros are just going to stand there and watch?"

"W-we're going!"

The two rank-5 hunters, finally snapping out of their daze, jumped into the fray. Heejong deftly swung his spear, sending Matan shots flying in all directions, while Yoonji provided fire support with blasts of lightning. Once they regained their composure, they began to display their professional skill.

While everyone else was engaged, Yusin was preparing a new spell.

<Light Devastar>

Devastar was still a burdensome magic for him. Its casting speed, mana consumption, and difficult-to-control output made it impractical to use repeatedly in real combat. So, he had created a simplified version with a lower mana cost and faster casting. Given his preference for spamming efficient spells, this was far more convenient.

'Loaded.'

Yusin took a stance, black smoke swirling from his legs. With its young being indiscriminately cut down, the boss was finally making its move. Lowering his stance and measuring the distance with his Sage's Eye, Yusin vanished.

'FWOOSH!'

He reappeared right in front of the latis yeti, piercing through the blizzard. A twisting kick landed squarely on the yeti's nose.

'THWACK!'

A jet-black shockwave erupted from the tip of his foot, blasting the beast backward and shattering the ice beneath it.

'KRAAAWR!'

The beast was tough. Enraged at being sent flying by a mere human's kick, it charged like a bison on all fours. Yusin landed calmly and prepared his next spell. Ea handled the magic circle on his left hand while he focused on his right foot.

The yeti's fist swung through the blizzard. Yusin pushed off the ice and launched himself forward.

-Tower Master! It's complete!

Yusin dodged the yeti's fist by a paper-thin margin. In mid-air, his left hand and right foot made contact, and black smoke billowed from his shoe. He spun his body.

<Light Devastar>

A perfectly angled kick descended on the yeti's head. Like a gimlet wrapped in the night sky, it slammed the latis yeti's body into the white ice, sending cracks spreading in all directions.

"Whew!"

Yusin landed smoothly. The yeti, its head smashed into the ground, lifted its bloodied face, showering ice fragments everywhere.

-Tower Master! The yeti is preparing its 'Ice Breath'!

"Let's evade and then strike," Yusin decided.

-Yes! Calculating shortest evasion route. Calculation complete. Evasion probability: 92%. Shield magic circle deployed at the designated point.

A series of shields unfolded above his head like a staircase. Without hesitation, Yusin leaped onto the first one. Second step. Third step. The incline was steep, but with his now superhuman body, it was not difficult. The moment he leaped off the fifth step, an explosion of cold breath shot from the latis yeti's mouth, blanketing the area in white.

Yusin let out a sigh of relief, glancing at the scene behind him. "A perfect dodge!"

-Switching to counterattack process.

A Leap Boots magic circle was waiting at the sixth step. Yusin launched himself forward, riding its momentum.

'Hsssss!'

His cocked right leg slowly extended toward the beast's face. For a moment, the creature might have felt a flicker of relief. The dangerous black energy that had been cornering it was gone. But as Yusin's leg extended, it brushed past his left hand. Instantly, black magic surged from the sole of his shoe as if a spark had been lit.

A nightmarish skeletal figure was reflected in the beast's eyes.

<Light Devastar>

'CRACK!'

The beast's head, taking the full force of Devastar, snapped back and practically touched its spine. It spun three times in the air before crashing to the ground. Before Yusin's airborne body even landed, his right hand and left foot made contact again. Another shot was loaded in the interim. Though it was a new skill, he wielded it with expert finesse.

His left foot, now charged with Devastar, came down on the fallen yeti's face. The creature, bleeding profusely, looked up at the human with eyes full of terror.

"Goodbye." Yusin curled his lips into a smile and activated the magic circle. A massive output of power crushed the beast's head, punching it clean through the ice and into the seawater below.

[You have defeated the dungeon's boss monster.]

[Magic Power has increased by 5.]

[Agility has increased by 3.]

[Focus has increased by 3.]

It was an overwhelming victory. He had single-handedly toyed with a rank-4 boss monster.

"Kyaaaaah! That's our Yusin!" Bora cheered.

"Excellent work," Seojin added calmly.

The Magic Tower members had been watching while cleaning up the last of the younglings. Most of the mobs had been beaten to a pulp by the golems.

Yoonji was completely dumbfounded. Everyone here—even the guests and the child—was overwhelmingly strong. A sudden chill ran down her spine.

"Just who the hell are you people?!" she cried out, forgetting her pride as a certified rank-5 hunter.

* * *

We had defeated the boss, but unfortunately, no portal to the Labyrinth Dungeon appeared. 'Well, I'd be greedy to expect a win on the first try.'

We returned to the exit and stepped back out onto a road in Mungyeong City. The dungeon gate we had entered remained wide open. The only way to close it was to defeat the irregular boss of the Labyrinth Dungeon.

"One down!" Bora said cheerfully. "We're off to a good start, don't you think?"

"Looks like it. I'll report it." I sent a message to our management company, informing them that we had cleared the dungeon but found no portal. A moment later, Shin Nara messaged me directly.

—Shin Nara: Yep, reported to the Association! You all worked so hard. Please take care of the next dungeon too!

While I closed the app, Bora logged into the command center's system to check for herself. Seojin and Eunsol, who didn't have access, watched over her shoulder.

"Wow! Are all these red dots on the map dungeons?" Eunsol asked. "There are so many."

"As expected of a national-level Disaster," Seojin murmured.

Bora zoomed in on the Mungyeong area. Just then, the icon for the dungeon we had cleared turned green, signifying it was confirmed to have no portal.

"Yay! It's green!" Bora exclaimed. "We contributed to the country!"

The mood among my team was light. The certified hunters, however, did not look so good. Heejong was staring blankly at the scenery, while Yoonji had collapsed onto the ground the moment she got out and hadn't moved since.

"Looks like you're still processing everything," I said, approaching Heejong. He jumped in surprise. "Get in the car. The Association has given us orders to move to the next location."

"Yes. Ah, no. Uh, okay!" he stammered, stumbling toward the car.

The party composition had already been officially reported, so there was no backing out. If they tried to break up the party now over the profit ratio, they would not only receive a handicap but would also be the ones to suffer a one-sided loss. It was better for them to stick with us.

As he was getting in the car, Heejong looked back at me. "…Hey, uh. Yusin."

"Yes?"

"Just tell me one thing. Are you really just a provisional license player?"

"I told you. I'm an Academy student."

"Even for someone about to graduate, skills like that… Huh, wait a minute!" His eyes widened dramatically. He stood still, as if putting together pieces of a puzzle in his head, before a gasp escaped his lips. "Don't tell me you're the rookie everyone's been talking about… the one who beat Hong Yeon!"

I just smiled. "Hurry up and get in the car."

Heejong let out a dazed laugh and climbed inside.

* * *

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