Rewinding time a little—
“Potion of Harmony, Potion of Steel, Potion of Life, Potion of Will…”
“Hey! Stop drinking already, you lunatic! We really do not have much time left!”
‘At this rate, we will not even get to change into the Hidden Class!’
Rough, who had been silently watching, could no longer hold it in and let out a lion’s roar.
“Alright! I get it!”
Having finished fully buffing themselves, Flex and Rough hurried into the audience chamber.
It was a vast, dark space without a single ray of light.
Dense purple mist blanketed the floor.
At the very back stood a half-collapsed throne.
And before it, someone who appeared to be a Boss Monster was kneeling on one knee.
His appearance was even more grotesque than Redro’s.
Swords were embedded all over his armor, and there was not a scrap of flesh left on him.
He was nothing but bare bones.
[Captain of the Guard Frame]
[Lv. 50]
[Total Combat Power: 9,000]
‘Level 50, Combat Power 9,000. It is fine. There are only two of us, but compared to the Basilisk, this is manageable.’
After checking the information, Rough felt relieved and his fighting spirit flared.
Frame slowly rose to his feet, drew a greatsword as large as himself, and blocked the path before the throne.
“Those who have invaded the royal presence without permission. You are prepared to pay for your crime, I presume.”
“I will deal damage from range, so you tank him. No complaints, right?”
Flex proposed.
‘So he means he wants to stay in the back and deal damage comfortably.’
It could have seemed like an unfair division of roles.
But for now, it was the best option.
Attack power.
If there was one thing Flex excelled at, it was that.
He had melted Jaar’s HP in an instant, even though Jaar had stubbornly endured against the Adult Basilisk.
Even Rough acknowledged that.
“Alright. Let us do that.”
Rough accepted Flex’s proposal.
“Let’s give it a try.”
Flex stepped forward boldly and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat—bang!!
Several gunshots rang out at once.
Frame vanished, leaving only an afterimage behind.
The bullets fired from Flex’s gun passed through the spot where Frame had stood and buried themselves in the wall.
“What? Where did this bastard go—?”
Flex looked around for the vanished Frame.
The Frame he was searching for appeared at his side.
Slaaash!
“Urgh!”
Flex, his back slashed open, rolled all the way to where Rough stood.
It had been a surprise attack, but a single normal strike had taken away 20% of his HP.
Considering that he was fully buffed and all of his equipment was enhanced, it was terrifying attack power.
Swish.
Frame turned his head toward the two.
Where his eyes should have been was empty.
Yet rather than feeling hollow, it was as though a fierce light was shining from within.
This Boss was the complete opposite of the Basilisk.
The Basilisk had been strong in defense.
Frame appeared to be strong in offense.
“We do not have much time, but let us stay calm and figure out his patterns first. If we rush in blindly and die, it is over.”
Flex only nodded faintly in response.
Rumble.
Frame struck the floor with his greatsword.
A round red zone formed around where he stood.
[Boss Monster Captain of the Guard Frame has activated the Skill, King’s Majesty!]
[All Stats are reduced by 15% while within Frame’s domain.]
Rough quietly frowned after reading the notification.
Just as with the earlier mid-boss.
And now with this Boss Monster’s wide-area debuff Skill.
They were already pressed for time because of the twenty-minute limit, yet this Dungeon had far too many mechanics designed to obstruct a clear.
“Delte Swordsmanship, Fourth Form: Wild Dance.”
Whoosh, whoosh!
Sword aura shot wildly from Frame’s greatsword.
He used a Stat debuff to pressure nearby enemies, and techniques such as sword aura to torment enemies at range.
Those were his primary patterns.
Each one was troublesome in its own right.
‘Hm, how should we handle this?’
Rough avoided the sword aura as he racked his brain.
‘First, as the Status Window shows, that Boss does not have much HP. And his defense is probably low too. Otherwise, there is no way his Combat Power would only be 9,000.’
His armor was not merely pierced with swords—it was rusted, and he was nothing but a skeleton.
Considering his speed was high enough to evade bullets, as was his attack power, along with all the absurd patterns he had displayed—
Rough’s deduction was reasonable.
‘Let me absorb as much damage as possible and create an opening. Sigh, it would have been better if I had reached Level 50.’
If he had, he could have equipped the Epic Armor, Sarin Armor, significantly lowering the difficulty he felt.
[09:54]
[09:53]
[…]
After glancing at the remaining time, Rough immediately threw himself forward.
[You have entered Frame’s domain.]
[All Stats have been reduced by 15%.]
The notification announcing his reduced Stats appeared.
Without the slightest hesitation, Rough continued charging at Frame.
‘I cannot let any distance open up. If I do, sword aura will come flying immediately.’
To seal Frame’s sword aura, Rough clung stubbornly to him despite the penalty.
Just as Rough had expected, Frame had no chance to use sword aura while dealing with Rough, who clung to him like a leech.
Naturally, this took Flex out of Frame’s attention.
“…”
Flex carefully observed Frame’s movements.
Once they became somewhat familiar—
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-bang!!
Flex’s gun spewed fire once more.
And among those shots—
one bullet pierced through Frame’s armor.
“…!”
It lasted only an instant, but Frame faltered.
Rough relentlessly dug into that opening.
However, his target was not Frame himself, but his armor.
“Heavy Blow!”
Boom!
The old armor exploded like a bomb, completely exposing Frame’s upper body.
Immediately afterward—
“Point Severing.”
“Magnum Shot.”
Their powerful Skills struck in quick succession.
Unable to withstand the repeated blows, Frame was sent flying into the wall.
Through their combined attack, more than half of Frame’s HP was cut away.
It was an astonishing result.
About 30% HP remained.
By a simple calculation, they only needed to land their Skills once more to clear it.
[05:46]
[05:45]
[…]
There was also plenty of time left.
The clear was practically guaranteed.
“What? This is more manageable than I thought.”
Seeing Frame’s reduced HP, Flex regained his composure.
Rough agreed with him.
But there was one thing they had overlooked.
Just as Rough had guessed earlier, the Ruins of the Fallen Kingdom was a boss-focused Dungeon.
“Hoo.”
Within the collapsed debris, Frame creaked as he rose to his feet.
[Boss Monster Captain of the Guard Frame’s HP has fallen below 30%.]
[Entering Phase 2.]
“Come forth. My beloved steed.”
The dense purple mist filling the audience chamber gathered around Frame.
It rapidly condensed, soon taking the distinct form of a horse.
[Ghost Steed]
[Lv. 40]
[Total Combat Power: 2,500]
Now that he had summoned a horse, what happened next was obvious.
Whoosh!
Frame lightly leaped onto the Ghost Steed.
[The Dungeon’s master, Captain of the Guard Frame, mounts the Ghost Steed!]
[Frame’s Attack Power increases by 50%!]
[Frame’s Defense increases by 50%!]
[Frame’s Speed increases by 50%!]
Frame’s Status Window also changed.
[Grand General Frame]
[Lv. 50]
[Title: None]
[Classification: NPC]
[Affiliation: Fallen Kingdom]
[Disposition: Neutral]
[HP: 1,768/6,000 MP: 878/1,100]
[Strength: 60 △▽ Agility: 75 △▽]
[Intelligence: 38 △▽ Luck: 28 △▽]
[Total Combat Power: 9,000 ⇒ 13,100]
‘What the fuck…’
Rough cursed inwardly.
‘How does 9,000 plus 2,500 turn into more than 13,000?!’
There was no time to stand around cursing.
Neighhh!
The Ghost Steed carrying Frame raised its front legs high and let out a cry.
The next moment—
the Ghost Steed charged straight between the two of them.
Claaang!!
Thud!
Rough and Flex were each knocked back by the greatsword and the Ghost Steed’s hind legs.
The moment the distance opened, fierce sword aura came flying as expected.
It was more powerful than before, and its range had widened as well.
“He was already fast and strong. Now he is even more troublesome.”
Flex looked troubled.
Just moments ago, they had held the advantage.
But a single exchange had reversed the situation.
[02:26]
Only a little over two minutes remained.
It was time to settle this.
“That damn horse is the problem. If we can just knock him off once, I think we can do it.”
Cavalry was the natural enemy of infantry.
Countless examples from history proved it.
And in Frame’s case, his Stats had been inflated by a full 50%.
It was only natural that the fight felt even more difficult.
As the two desperately sought a way forward, fortune finally arrived.
Rumble…
A faint explosion sounded from below.
Then a slight tremor ran through the audience chamber, where the three were fighting.
The shaking continued to intensify until the entire area collapsed.
“W-Whoa!”
Having lost their footing, all three began to fall.
As a result, Frame’s domain disappeared.
[The Skill, King’s Majesty, has been dispelled.]
[All Stats have returned to normal.]
That was not all.
[Boss Monster Grand General Frame has been dismounted from the Ghost Steed.]
[Grand General Frame’s Stats have decreased.]
‘This works out better for us, but why is it suddenly collapsing?’
Rough and Flex soon realized why.
[Party Member Jaar has defeated Senior Knight Redro!]
[Level has increased!]
[Level has increased!]
[Level has increased!]
.
.
.
As Jaar defeated the mid-boss, Rough and Flex, his Party Members, fully benefited.
And it was not only the Level-ups.
[Your Personal Trait Level has increased!]
[Your Personal Trait Level has increased!]
[Your Personal Trait Level has increased!]
[Your Personal Trait has undergone its second growth!]
[You may now adjust an item’s values.]
‘You can even adjust an item’s values?’
Rough’s eyes lit up.
He wanted to check the details, but there was no time.
[00:45]
Less than a minute remained.
There was no more time to hesitate.
Aware of the remaining time, the two quickly looked around for Frame.
Fortunately, he was not far away, flailing about together with the Ghost Steed.
“The final hit is mine! High-Rank Skill, Full Barrage—!”
Just as Flex attempted to use the High-Rank Skill he had been saving for this moment—
Neighhh!
As if it had no intention of allowing that, the Ghost Steed threw itself forward.
“Gah! You horse-faced bastard!”
The two collided in midair and fell even faster.
Flex switched to his second weapon, a hammer, and struck the Ghost Steed’s head, but he could not stop their fall.
“Tch! We have done this much for you, so you had better kill him! Seriously!”
Flex’s angry voice rapidly faded into the distance below.
Now, only Frame remained.
About thirty seconds were left.
Rough had to defeat him in one blow.
But Frame would not simply let himself be killed.
He needed to prepare.
Rough immediately opened his Inventory and took out Sarin Armor.
Among the notifications that had appeared when Jaar defeated Redro had clearly been this line:
Through the growth of his Personal Trait, he could now adjust an item’s values.
Rough used his Personal Trait to lower Sarin Armor’s Level requirement.
Then he raised the Attack Power of the Giant Beast-Slaying Sword.
[You have equipped Sarin Armor.]
The instant he equipped Sarin Armor, his Combat Power rose greatly.
With this, no matter how powerful the strike, he was confident he could endure it.
“Double Jump.”
Avoiding the debris, Rough shot toward Frame.
“Delte Swordsmanship Secret Art: Execution.”
Having barely regained his balance in midair, Frame held his greatsword diagonally and swung it slowly.
It was an endlessly calm motion.
Yet beneath it lay terrifying power.
He could feel it on his skin without even needing to take the hit.
“Sword aura is not your exclusive privilege.”
Even before the greatsword descending toward him, Rough remained composed.
“Point Severing.”
Sword aura born from Rough’s blade shot forward at tremendous speed.
But it could not withstand the power of Execution and vanished.
Having swallowed the Point Severing, Execution continued swinging toward Rough, as though it would split him in two at any moment.
Flinch!
“Damn it! If once is not enough, I will fire it twice!”
Rough did not give up. He rapidly used Point Severing in crossing directions.
[A Skill has been created through a specific action!]
[Point Cross Severing Lv. 1]
[Rank: Mid-Rank]
[EXP: 0.00%]
[Active Skill]
[Consumes a certain amount of MP to launch two powerful sword auras dealing 388% damage. The longer energy is gathered, the more MP is consumed, but the greater the power becomes.]
The Point Severing, now forming the shape of a cross, rushed toward Frame with greater force than before.
At the same time—
Claaang!!
Frame’s Execution struck Rough.
“Cough…!”
Unable to withstand the force of Execution, Rough was sent flying away.
“Rough!!”
Jaar’s urgent cry echoed from far below.
Through Rough’s violently spinning vision—
[The Dungeon’s master, Captain of the Guard Frame, has been defeated!]
[You have cleared the Ruins of the Fallen Kingdom!]
[The time limit has been removed.]
[Level has increased!]
[Level has increased!]
[Level has increased!]
.
.
[You have obtained the Hidden Class ??? Job Change Book (Bound)!]
The thrilling flood of countless notifications that came with clearing a Dungeon filled his vision.
‘I… won!’
A faint smile spread across Rough’s lips as he checked the notifications.