“Hold your breath. If the formation collapses, we’re finished.”
Ju-min’s low, heavy voice made the murky air around them tremble.
At those words, the party members instinctively stopped breathing and slowed their steps. Both the shield-bearing Hunter and the Mage swallowed nervously, their eyes fixed solely on Ju-min’s back as he led the way.
Jo Won-seok, the temporary leader who had been putting on airs not long ago, now walked at the very rear of the group with his mouth firmly shut.
Conscious of Ju-min’s piercing gaze, he merely collected the monster byproducts scattered across the ground. He had initially insisted that they did not need to hire a Porter, yet the overwhelming difference in ability had ultimately forced him to take on the Porter’s role himself.
By the time even the sloshing of the murky water had subsided, the cramped passage gradually began to widen.
Soon, a vast underground cavern opened its maw before them, its musty stench of stagnant water piercing their lungs. Dark crimson mud rose to their ankles, while ominous droplets fell steadily from the ceiling.
“Everyone, keep a firm grip on your weapons.”
Ju-min issued a brief warning as he adjusted his grip on his sword.
GRRRRR.
A red glow flashed in the darkness.
The creature stood well over the height of an adult man. Ferocious crimson scales covered its entire body, glistening beneath the waterway’s faint moss light.
It was the boss of the Red Underground Waterway—the Crimsonblood Crocodile.
Every time the slime dripping between its jaws struck the ground, an intense acidic odor rose into the air.
BOOM!
The creature slammed its massive tail against the ground, sending the stagnant water surging upward like a waterfall.
At the same time, an eardrum-splitting roar shook the entire cavern. The party members instinctively covered their ears and staggered backward before its suffocating ferocity.
Their circumstances were far from favorable.
Because Jo Won-seok had drawn so many monsters toward them at the beginning, the panicked party members had exhausted their shared potions and mana potions early.
While Ju-min led them through the remaining passages, they had even been forced to share the ordinary recovery potions he had brought.
“What are we supposed to do? I only have one mana capsule left.”
“I used all my health potions blocking attacks with my shield.”
The voices coming from behind him were steeped in despair.
Ju-min carried one B-grade full recovery potion for emergencies. However, a single bottle could not possibly restore the entire party’s health and mana.
'If this battle drags on, we’ll definitely die.'
Ju-min watched the Crimsonblood Crocodile with cold, composed eyes.
He could trust the Strength Enhancement produced by the Giant’s Mining Hands and confront it head-on. However, if he exhausted his stamina by meeting its strength with his own, he would be unable to respond to any unexpected variables.
He needed to end the battle quickly.
Instead of recklessly charging forward, he carefully analyzed the creature’s attack patterns.
CRUNCH! CRACK!
The Crimsonblood Crocodile opened its jaws wide and twisted its body toward the Shield Bearer who had entered its sight.
At that moment, Ju-min’s gaze dropped toward its lower body.
Its right hind leg had grown grotesquely large to support its heavy tail and upper body. Whenever the creature rapidly changed direction to attack, the joint stiffened ever so slightly, showing signs that it was struggling beneath the weight.
'There’s a moment when its reaction slows.'
Having identified a definite weakness, Ju-min quickly issued his orders.
“Shield Bearer, circle wide to the left and strike your shield to draw its attention.”
“Y-Yes!”
“Mage, prepare to fire at its right eye. Don’t worry about dealing damage—focus solely on blocking its vision. Leader, stay behind us and stop any small fry that might approach.”
His instructions were clean and concise.
No one in the party questioned Ju-min’s commands anymore.
The Shield Bearer kicked off the wet ground and positioned himself beside the cavern’s left wall.
CLANG! CLAAANG!
When he violently struck his shield with his blunt weapon, the Crimsonblood Crocodile’s head snapped toward him.
Enraged by the provocative noise, the beast twisted its body and prepared to swing its tail.
“Fire now!”
At Ju-min’s shout, a rapid barrage of sharp mana bullets erupted from the tip of the Mage’s staff.
RATATAT!
The bullets could not penetrate the Crimsonblood Crocodile’s sturdy scales.
However, they exploded precisely against its right eye, producing brilliant flashes and clouds of smoke.
GRAAAARGH!
With its vision obstructed, the creature shrieked in pain and thrashed wildly.
The violent recoil caused its center of gravity to shift sharply toward the right.
It was precisely the moment Ju-min had been waiting for.
SPLASH!
Before the muddy water could even spray upward, Ju-min slid into the creature’s blind spot on its right side.
His gaze remained fixed on a single point—the joint of its right hind leg, which had stiffened under the excessive weight.
Instead of using the hand holding his sword, Ju-min drew his left fist, clad in the Giant’s Mining Hands, taut behind him.
The subtle mana surrounding the gauntlet surged through his arm muscles in an instant.
THUD—!
Ju-min’s fist struck the Crimsonblood Crocodile’s hind-leg joint without deviating so much as an inch.
A chilling rupture echoed throughout the cavern.
Through the gauntlet, he distinctly felt the thick bone shatter beneath the sturdy crimson scales.
SHRIEEEEK!
Having lost its most important support, the boss’s enormous body collapsed to the ground.
It thrashed in pain, swinging its saw-like jaws wildly. Ju-min, however, had already withdrawn half a step and moved beyond the range of its blind attacks.
Without hesitation, he leaped toward the creature’s throat as it lay embedded in the ground.
SHNK!
The worn one-handed sword, driven by his full body weight, slipped through the soft gap in the carapace beneath its jaw.
The sword tip tore through the thick muscle and precisely severed the beast’s windpipe.
THUD!
The Crimsonblood Crocodile’s body went limp with an impact that shook the ground.
The violently surging murky water soon became still.
“Haa, haah…….”
Only then did the Shield Bearer release the breath he had been holding and collapse into the mud.
The Mage’s legs also gave way, forcing them to kneel on the ground while leaning against their staff.
Jo Won-seok, who had been acting as a Porter in the rear, stood frozen like a stone statue with his mouth hanging open.
The boss monster that had driven them to the brink of death had collapsed without landing a single threatening blow.
The miserable sight of the boss failing to withstand even one proper exchange struck their minds with tremendous force.
Ju-min, however, paid no attention to the party members’ astonished gazes.
A translucent System Window, invisible to everyone else, hovered like a hologram before his eyes.
[Achievement Unlocked: Minimal-Loss Command]
–You defeated the boss in a short, decisive battle through superior tactics and weakness analysis under circumstances where the party was expected to suffer heavy losses.
This was not the ordinary Subjugation Settlement Window that appeared after clearing a dungeon.
It was a Hidden Achievement Reward that appeared only when certain conditions were fulfilled.
[The reward is awaiting collection.]
–D-grade Passive Skill Book ‘Combat Breathing’
The golden window of privilege granted exclusively to Ju-min then filled his vision.
[The awarded reward can be amplified one hundredfold.]
[100× Quantity] / [100× Value]
[Which will you choose?]
Ju-min quietly examined the name of the Skill Book before him.
Combat Breathing.
It was a useful Passive Skill that reduced stamina and mana consumption while improving their efficiency.
If he selected 100× Quantity and obtained one hundred copies of the D-grade Skill Book, he could immediately sell them through the exchange and secure a substantial sum of money.
However, Ju-min reached his decision quickly.
'What I need now isn’t immediate cash, but a reliable combat Skill I can use right away.'
Although the Giant’s Mining Hands had drastically increased the physical power he could produce, his own body still had to manage the stamina and mana required to sustain that output over an extended period.
If he intended to move beyond shunned dungeons and challenge more dangerous, higher-ranked areas, he urgently needed a higher-ranked Skill that would improve his body’s fundamental efficiency.
'100× Value.'
The moment he silently recited the words, a dazzling cascade of light poured over the worn booklet awaiting collection within the settlement window.
The light swirled around the book’s cover, completely transforming its texture and form.
[100× Value has been applied.]
[The reward is evolving.]
–A-grade Passive Skill Book ‘Perfect Breathing’
The simple D-grade Skill transformed into an A-grade Skill Book containing mana of an entirely different density.
Before anyone else could notice the radiant book, it was quietly drawn into Ju-min’s personal Inventory.
“Phew.”
Only then did Ju-min exhale briefly and release the tension that had drawn his shoulders taut.
He lightly flicked the sticky blood from his blade and slowly turned toward the party members.