Chapter 49
The balance of power had not yet collapsed.
Seo Dong-cheol, leader of Myeolsuhoe, Yoo Ji-hoon, master of Black Night, and Namgung Yul, guild master of Divine Sword.
Each of them commanded their guild’s elite members, clashing against the high-ranking Watchers guarding the boss.
Shwack!
Seo Dong-cheol’s axe mercilessly hacked off the tentacles sprouting from the eyeballs.
Yoo Ji-hoon’s black dagger moved like a shadow, piercing their backs.
Puhk!
Namgung Yul’s quick sword relentlessly targeted the pupils of the high-ranking Watchers.
But the one who stood out most was Yoon Se-ha, dressed in a school uniform.
Each time her treasured sword, Hanwol, cleaved the air, silver-white flashes burst forth like fireworks.
Sword energy danced like moonlight.
The mutilated remains of Watchers littered the ground, yet the guild leaders’ expressions were far from bright.
The boss hasn’t even shown its face yet.
The final target, the boss—
the “Watcher of a Thousand Eyes,” covered in countless eyeballs—
sat silently at the center of the chamber, only rolling its eyes.
Gradually, the fighting spirit in the guild members’ eyes waned.
Even with an S-rank like Yoon Se-ha and three AAA-ranked guild leaders raging about—
The sheer numbers wore them down.
“Damn it, they’ve surrounded us!”
“Gaaah! Su… support!”
The worst-case scenario unfolded.
One flank of Myeolsuhoe’s formation collapsed.
High-ranking Watchers extended slimy tentacles, ready to shred fallen guild members to pieces.
Flash!
Like a blazing light—
Do-yoon burst through.
The moment his Flame Sword carved the air—
Chwaaaak!
The flame-wreathed blade severed the tentacles without mercy.
[Protected: Kang Min-hyuk] [Protected: Oh Soo-jin] [Protected: Choi Dong-ho] [Protected: Son Chan-young]
[Honor Points Acquired: 950]
“W-who are you?”
As the shaken guild members steadied their pounding hearts, Do-yoon’s shadow loomed above them.
“If I had to say… just a brave citizen.”
“…?”
“W-wait, aren’t you the Monster Hunter?”
Unlike in Room 2, these guild members instantly recognized his face.
“The Monster Hunter?!”
“Hyun Do-yoon?”
The sudden arrival made the three guild leaders’ expressions shift in different ways.
Namgung Yul seemed intrigued, purely entertained by the turn of events.
Seo Dong-cheol, whose members had been saved by Do-yoon, shouted his gratitude from afar.
“Thank you, Monster Hunter! Our men owe you their lives!”
But Yoo Ji-hoon was different.
Behind his gentle smile, a cold calculation gleamed.
What are the fools at the entrance doing? I told them to block every gap… Tch, incompetent idiots.
He spoke in a smooth voice.
“With the renowned Monster Hunter joining us, it feels like we’ve gained an army.”
He glanced sideways at Seo Dong-cheol.
“Your combat power seems immense… shall we say you’ll take care of twenty to thirty high Watchers for us?”
“What?!”
Simple-minded Seo Dong-cheol took the bait at once.
“It’s already a struggle to share the spoils among ourselves!”
Drawing up his strength, he bellowed:
“Monster Hunter…! Forgive me, but leave at once! Unless you wish to sour relations with the Three Great Guilds!”
But Do-yoon ignored him.
Whoooosh!
The Flame Sword spewed fire endlessly as he saved guild members from peril.
I’ve been neglecting my Honor Points for too long.
His weapon, the [Sword of the Guardian], grew only through fulfilling the duty of protection.
But the conditions for that duty were tricky.
Only kills made with the summoned sword counted as “Threat Eliminations.”
Back in Tunnel Vanishing, even the wraiths outside the train yielded Honor Points, but at Gimcheon Gate, only boss kills dropped them.
<Tunnel 187> belonged to the Black Ghost, but since it had kidnapped humans, the creatures inside counted as threats.
But Gimcheon was originally human territory—now occupied by the Demon Legion.
…Only subjugating the Hellfire Demon counted as a threat elimination. By that logic, normal dungeon monsters are a no-go.
Yet there was one exception: protecting players.
If allies or civilians nearby faced a real threat, then neutralizing that danger counted.
And since the elites of the Three Great Guilds had no low-rank members, protecting even one of them yielded hefty points.
[Protected: Woo Yoo-jin] [Protected: Choi Dong-ho] [Protected: Son Chan-young] [Protected: Lee Jong-myung] [Protected: Seo Dong-cheol]
[Honor Points Acquired: 1,450]
[Progress to Next Rank: (12,700/20,000)]
“Ugh, I let my guard down… didn’t expect them to come from behind. Hmph, my thanks.”
Seo Dong-cheol coughed awkwardly, embarrassed by his earlier outburst.
With Do-yoon’s unexpected support, the Three Great Guilds regained their momentum.
Then—
The massive central eye of the Watcher emitted a bizarre glow.
At the same time—
The thousand smaller eyes covering its body turned bloodshot, writhing.
Glurrp!
A thousand gazes swept across every direction.
The revolting sensation of crawling eyes clung to the skin.
[You are afflicted with “Curse of the 1,000-Day Nightmare.”]
[Agility Decreased]
[Perception Decreased]
[Instinct Decreased]
[Intelligence Decreased]
[Combat Sense Decreased]
“W-why… can’t I move?”
“Ah… ugh, aaagh!”
Guild members of the Three Great Guilds faltered instantly.
Their bodies, eyes, and even hands failed to obey.
Dodges, counters, responses—all fell apart.
Tentacles snatched sluggish guild members.
Splurt!
Blood and flesh sprayed.
The boss chamber turned into a slaughterhouse.
…!
Do-yoon watched as descendants fell before him.
Even if they had become greedy and self-serving…
They were still his descendants.
He bit his lip, tasting iron.
Even amid the despair, he did what he must.
Silently, without a sound or shadow.
[Resisting.]
[Resisting.]
His movements did not falter for an instant.
Do-yoon dashed into the swarm of eyes.
Fwooosh!
The Flame Sword drew arcs of fire.
And another who resisted the curse—
Chwaaaak!
Yoon Se-ha’s icy blade, Hanwol, cleaved from behind.
“This is my hunting ground. Stay out of it.”
Her voice was as cold as moonlight, laced with rivalry.
“This isn’t a hunting ground—it’s a battlefield.”
Do-yoon corrected her as he slashed through Watchers.
Their blades no longer overlapped; soon, they fought back-to-back, tearing through enemies.
[High-Rank Watcher slain.]
[1,000 Points Acquired.]
[High-Rank Watcher slain.]
[1,000 Points Acquired.]
…
…
The faster Do-yoon grew, the deeper Se-ha’s strikes pierced.
The corpses piled beneath them, their tallies trading the lead.
The encirclement slowly broke.
“Now’s the chance!”
Se-ha shouted like thunder.
“Do you want to live? Then throw everything at the boss!”
The guild masters agreed.
“Do as the Sword Demon says!”
“Everyone, unleash it all!”
At their command, the guild members unleashed their strongest skills.
Frozen spears splitting space, chains crackling with lightning, raging gales cleaving in waves.
Magic, swordplay, psychic powers—an overwhelming tide.
That tide surged toward the Watcher of a Thousand Eyes.
Please!
If nothing else!
Let this be the end!
Just before their desperate barrage struck—
Zuuuum!
Crackle, crackle.
A blue energy barrier rippled forth from the boss.
Fssssh!
The tide shattered to pieces.
“A-ahhh…”
An absolute defense, swallowing hope.
Guild members’ eyes clouded with despair.
At that moment, Yoon Se-ha moved.
Gathering every ounce of power—
Her sword rose, filled with her very soul.
Kwaaaa!
A crimson flash stormed forth.
She hurled herself at the central eye with annihilating resolve.
It’s the Death Sever.
Only Do-yoon grasped the essence of her strike.
The ultimate technique of the Demonic Soul Sword, cutting life with condensed resentment.
Crackkk!
Her strike hit the barrier dead-on.
Cracks spread like spiderwebs.
It shook, trembled.
But would not break.
“As expected of the Sword Demon!”
“If she does that a few more times…”
Guild members gazed in awe.
But Se-ha’s face betrayed her anxiety.
Damn, this won’t work…
She bit her lip.
Then—
“SKREEEEEEEEEEEE!”
For the first time, the boss shrieked, like glass tearing apart.
[The Watcher of a Thousand Eyes enters Enraged State.]
[Overwhelming fury fills the boss chamber.]
Do-yoon saw it.
The central eye twisted with madness.
“At once—!”
Shshshshsh!
The thousand eyes peeled away from the body.
“Scatter, nowww!”
Do-yoon’s roar shook the battlefield.
All the eyes glowed red.
[Activating “One Thousand Eyes Barrage.”]
This dungeon was not only where Cha Si-woo had grown wings.
Barely a month had passed since the Day of Awakening.
True powerhouses had yet to emerge, power and wealth not yet consolidated.
At this time, the term “Three Great Guilds of Korea” was hollow.
Only Black Night was different.
…With weakened Divine Sword and Myeolsuhoe wiped out, Yoo Ji-hoon will share the boss with Se-ha. Black Night will then absorb the survivors, beginning their domination.
That could not be allowed.
Not just because of Yoo Ji-hoon’s sinister schemes.
Do-yoon could not watch his descendants be slaughtered.
Fwoooosh! Fwooosh!
A thousand red lasers filled the chamber.
The rain of death poured down.
Do-yoon knew what had to be done.
Go, little ones.
He whispered to the shadows where he had hidden them.
Slide…
Amid the carnage, unnoticed by anyone,
Thousands of wraiths silently infiltrated the floating eyes.
「O Great Lord of Darkness, we have seized partial control of these wretched eyes!」
“Well done.”
「Ahhh… what glory!」
“Now let’s give them hell.”
At his command, hundreds of eyes under his control shifted aim.
Boom! Crack!
Some fired into the ceiling, others blasted nearby eyes.
Some even turned on the Watcher itself, firing at its massive body.
「We have seized full control…! All thanks to your greatness, my Lord!」
“Good. Commence full assault.”
The boss’s blue barrier flickered.
Shhhshh!
Boom! Boom! Kabooom!
Most of the lasers deflected or absorbed—
But the relentless barrage destabilized the barrier.
A faint but certain damage accumulated.
Now.
Do-yoon’s foot struck the ground.
[Heavenly Fortune Sword Art (Legendary)]
└ [Third Form – Destroying Threads]
Fwaaash!
Blue sword threads exploded from his Flame Sword.
Slash, slash, slash, slash!
Like hundreds of blades, they tore mercilessly.
Craaaack!
The weakened barrier finally shattered.
“Wh-what is that…?”
“Even the Sword Demon couldn’t break it…”
Guild members, guild masters, even Yoon Se-ha—none could speak.
What had just happened?
How had that wall of despair been torn down?
No one knew.
All they saw was—
Eyes blazing—
Do-yoon charging at the Watcher.
[Heavenly Fortune Sword Art (Legendary)]
└ [Fourth Form – Severing Clouds]
A beam of sword light, carrying the essence of Heavenly Fortune, pierced the heart revealed by his All-Seeing Eye.
Shhhhrak!
Silence followed the flash.
I-impossible…
All swallowed their breath.
Thousands of eyes fell like rain as the boss’s colossal body collapsed.
[Protected: Lee Jong-myung] [Protected: Choi Dong-ho] [Protected: Woo Yoo-jin] [Protected: Park Sang-il] [Protected: Oh Soo-jin] [Protected: Chun Dong-hwan] … [Protected: Seo Dong-cheol] [Protected: Namgung Yul] [Protected: Yoo Ji-hoon] [Protected: Yoon Se-ha]
[Honor Points Acquired: 7,350]
As the endless messages filled his vision, a few lines caught Do-yoon’s eyes.
[Honor Points reached 20,000! Skill Rank Up.]
[“Sword of the Guardian” (C) → (B)]
[“Flame Sword” evolves into Lightning-Wreathed “Thunder Sword.”]
