Chapter 90: Change (2)

Chapter 87

Whatever had caused the Webfiends to change was somewhere in that direction, some distance away from Orion’s current position. Despite the distance separating them, however, he could still sense an incredibly powerful aura emanating from that area.

The presence was oppressive and dark, carrying enough power to make the surrounding atmosphere feel heavier. Something dangerous was approaching, and Orion could tell that the situation was about to take a serious turn.

Despite understanding the gravity of what was happening, he remained completely calm. Whatever awaited him, he would deal with it when the time came.

---

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield where the dungeon break had occurred, a deafening explosion echoed through the air.

BOOM!

Katherine was sent flying backward, her body twisting in midair from the force of the impact. Despite the momentum threatening to throw her off balance, she managed to regain control and land lightly on her feet.

Even after landing, however, her breathing remained uneven. She had sustained more damage than she cared to admit, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, running down her chin as she struggled to maintain her composure. Her armor was covered in scratches and damaged sections, each one a reminder of the brutal battle she had endured.

Her long blonde hair had fallen into complete disarray, while sweat and blood stained her face. Although she was in such a terrible condition, Katherine was still considerably better off than the figure standing directly across from her.

Of the two Level 16, B-Grade Webfiends she had been fighting, one had already been decapitated and killed. The other was in even worse condition than Katherine in certain respects, with most of its spider legs completely severed and its grotesque lower body severely damaged.

One of its hands had also been cut off.

Yet, despite its injuries, the aura radiating from the remaining Webfiend had become even more terrifying than before.

Katherine had a pretty good idea why this was happening. Her cold gaze shifted toward the shimmering, dark rift behind the one-handed Webfiend, and her expression grew increasingly solemn.

The dungeon boss was about to arrive.

It could emerge at any moment, and she needed to kill the remaining Webfiend before that happened so she could devote her full attention to the incoming threat. There was no room for mistakes anymore, especially when she was already exhausted from fighting two powerful monsters.

Katherine pulled her weary gaze away from the rift and took a deep breath, trying to steady herself before the next exchange.

The reason behind the sudden surge in the Webfiends’ power was obvious. Their lord was coming, and the power that had previously been suppressed, or perhaps only partially available to them, was returning as the dungeon boss approached the outside world.

Their strength had reached its full potential.

Katherine’s expression darkened as she realized how badly she had misjudged the situation.

"I’m such a fool..."

She cursed under her breath, blaming herself for the predicament she now found herself in. Earlier, she had deliberately avoided using her strongest skill because of its enormous stamina and mana consumption. She had believed she could defeat the two Level 16 monsters without resorting to it, saving her strength for whatever came afterward.

Technically, she hadn’t been entirely wrong. One of the Webfiends was already dead, while the other had suffered severe injuries that left much of its body mutilated.

The problem was that she hadn’t killed the remaining monster quickly enough.

And now, the dungeon lord was coming.

Katherine knew deep down that she wouldn’t be able to finish off the Webfiend in time to prepare herself properly for the next battle. She had already wasted too much time, and the situation had become far more dangerous than she had anticipated.

There was no more time to hesitate.

Katherine spread her legs slightly and assumed a fighting stance in midair, bending her back forward until her posture resembled that of a runner preparing to sprint at full speed. Her gaze sharpened, cold and fierce, as she gathered her remaining strength.

Then she exhaled.

Green flames escaped from one side of her breath, while raging wind poured from the other. The same phenomenon spread across her entire body, surrounding her in a combination of two powerful forces.

Wind and flame swirled together, intertwining as though the opposing elements had been created specifically to complement one another. The air around Katherine began to distort under the growing pressure, and her green eyes sparkled with intense light as the energy gathering around her became increasingly violent.

This was her strongest skill, the technique she had been reluctant to use until now.

But with the dungeon boss about to arrive, there was no longer any reason to hold back.

"Skyflame Strike," Katherine called calmly.

She immediately launched herself forward.

The flames and wind surrounding her condensed inward, compressing into an increasingly concentrated mass of energy before erupting outward with explosive force. Katherine became a blur, shooting toward her opponent and leaving behind a trail of swirling wind and emerald flames.

The Webfiend immediately sensed the danger.

Its grotesque body stiffened as its instincts screamed at it to defend itself. With only one hand remaining, it moved as quickly as it could, sending several thin strands of silvery spiderweb shooting toward Katherine in a desperate attempt to stop her final attack.

But Katherine’s sword flashed through the air.

Her gaze remained cold and focused as she sliced through the incoming webs, cutting apart the monster’s desperate attempt to stop her as though it were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

The next instant, she appeared directly behind it.

Her sword slid back into its sheath with a crisp metallic sound.

Shink!

"Burn in hell," she said calmly.

The words had barely left her lips when the Webfiend’s remaining hand was sliced into pieces. Its head followed, and then the rest of its body was cut apart in rapid succession until its grotesque form separated into countless fragments.

Before those pieces could even touch the ground, beautiful emerald flames engulfed them.

The fire burned brilliantly, illuminating the battlefield with a vivid green glow as it consumed the scattered remains. The Webfiend’s body was devoured in an instant, leaving no opportunity for the monster to recover from Katherine’s finishing strike.

Its screams might have been heart-wrenching if it hadn’t already been dead before the flames finished devouring its remains.

The emerald fire continued burning for another twenty seconds, reducing the monster’s body to nothing but ashes.

A notification appeared before Katherine, informing her that she had received EXP for the kill.

However, her expression remained unchanged. Considering all the effort she had put into slaying the abomination, the EXP she received was nowhere near enough to make her happy.

Still, Katherine didn’t dwell on the matter. She had a much bigger problem to deal with.

---

Katherine reached into her storage bag and retrieved two potions, one red and the other blue.

A health potion and a mana potion.

She was running low on both resources, and with a battle for her life about to begin, allowing her condition to deteriorate any further would be disastrous. She needed to recover at least enough to restore her health and mana to a somewhat acceptable level before the dungeon boss appeared.

Without hesitation, she uncorked both potions and gulped them down, swallowing the liquids before waiting for their effects to take hold.

After finishing the potions, Katherine surveyed the battlefield.

Her gaze grew solemn as she took in the destruction surrounding her. Every warrior who had shown up to fight had been killed, and not a single one had survived.

They had tried their best. In fact, they had performed far better than Katherine had expected, considering the circumstances they had faced.

Under ordinary conditions, if this had been a dungeon break of the same level and caliber, most of them might have managed to survive. They might even have held the line long enough for reinforcements to arrive, giving the remaining defenders a chance to contain the monsters before the situation spiraled out of control.

But this situation was different.

There was a reason insect-type monsters, especially those emerging from dungeons, were classified among the greatest threats humanity could face. Their numbers were simply too overwhelming, and unlike many other types of monsters, they could adapt to changing circumstances with frightening ease.

Even when individual monsters weren’t particularly powerful, their combined strength could become a nightmare for anyone forced to confront them. Their sheer numbers allowed them to overwhelm opponents who might have easily defeated them in smaller groups, turning what should have been a manageable battle into a desperate struggle for survival.

That was exactly what had happened here.

The warriors had fought desperately, but the sheer number of Webfiends had gradually overwhelmed them until there was no one left to hold the line.

And now, they were all dead.

Katherine lowered her gaze for a moment before moving to collect the fallen warriors’ corpses. One after another, she carried their bodies away from the battlefield, placing them somewhere they wouldn’t be caught in the massive battle that was about to begin.

It was a small gesture, perhaps insignificant compared to the scale of the disaster unfolding around her, but these people had fought to protect the city and its inhabitants. They had risked their lives against an enemy they ultimately couldn’t overcome, and the least Katherine could do was ensure their bodies wouldn’t be caught in the destruction that was about to follow.

After finishing, she returned her attention to the dark rift.

Another enormous worry weighed on her mind, and it had nothing to do with the monster standing directly in front of her.

Most of the Webfiends had escaped into the city.

Considering their staggering numbers, the Level 2 city behind her might already be doomed. Katherine’s lips tightened as she considered what could be happening beyond the battlefield, where countless monsters were now free to hunt the city’s inhabitants.

No...

She refused to accept that possibility.

There were still numerous Elite-Level and Basic-Level warriors inside the city. Perhaps they had managed to stop the monsters, or found a way to defend themselves and protect the civilians from the incoming horde.

Perhaps they had somehow managed to save the city from certain destruction.

Katherine desperately clung to that possibility, hoping that the defenders had found a way to turn the situation around despite the overwhelming odds stacked against them.

However, the rational part of her mind knew the truth.

With so many Webfiends loose inside the city, there was almost no chance that its defenders could withstand the assault. They were too few, the monsters were too numerous, and the situation had already spiraled beyond what the city’s ordinary defenses could handle.

The city might very well be doomed.

Its people might already be dead.

Katherine pressed her lips into a thin line as the weight of that possibility settled over her. This was the true terror of a dungeon break, and although it had been a long time since she had faced one of this magnitude, she was being reminded of just how horrifying such an event could be.

A dungeon break wasn’t merely a battle against monsters. It was a catastrophe capable of swallowing entire cities, leaving nothing behind but death, destruction, and the despair of those who had failed to protect what mattered to them.

And right now, Katherine was standing at the center of one.

Suddenly, a massive wave of dark, oppressive energy slammed into her.

Her body shuddered involuntarily, and the force of the aura pulled her out of her thoughts. Her attention snapped toward the rift, where the dark energy continued pouring into the battlefield in successive waves, each surge heavier than the last.

It felt as though an enormous, invisible weight had descended upon the area, pressing against her body and threatening to crush her beneath its sheer presence. Katherine’s breathing briefly faltered as she struggled to withstand the pressure.

The dungeon boss wasn’t even here yet.

And its aura alone was already enough to threaten her.

Her lips parted slightly as a question surfaced in her mind.

Can I handle this?

For the first time in a while, Katherine genuinely doubted herself.

The truth was that she had already called for help. The moment she realized they were dealing with insect-type creatures, she had sent requests for reinforcements to multiple guilds, hoping they would understand the severity of the situation and respond as quickly as possible.

More than two hours had passed since then.

Yet not a single reinforcement had arrived.

Katherine’s lips slowly curved into a cold smile as she accepted the reality of her situation. It seemed she couldn’t rely on anyone else, at least not now.

Seems like I’ll just have to slay the dungeon boss myself, then.

The thought crossed her mind as she unsheathed her blade. Green flames and swirling wind curled along its smooth surface, their energies intertwining as the weapon reflected the faint light illuminating the battlefield.

Katherine assumed her battle stance, her resolve to slay the dungeon boss remaining firm.

How could it be otherwise?

If she failed to kill it, the death and destruction it would bring would be unimaginable. The city behind her was already in danger, and its inhabitants were fighting for their lives against the monsters that had escaped the dungeon.

If the dungeon boss was allowed to roam freely, the consequences would be catastrophic.

She couldn’t afford to retreat, hesitate, or allow the creature to escape into the world. No matter how powerful it was, she had to face it here before the situation became even worse.

No matter how terrifying the enemy might be, she had to fight and kill it, even if doing so meant putting her own life on the line.

The dark rift shimmered once more, and the oppressive aura intensified.

Then a foot emerged from the rift.

It moved forward and touched the ground.

BOOOOM!

A massive current of wind exploded outward from the point of contact, sweeping across the battlefield with enough force to slam into Katherine and push her backward. She struggled to maintain her footing against the sudden blast, her eyes widening slightly as she felt the power behind it.

But that was only the beginning.

The rest of the monster emerged from the rift, revealing its full presence on the battlefield. The instant Katherine sensed the creature’s aura, every instinct within her screamed that she was facing a danger far beyond anything she had fought so far.

The energy filling the air was no longer merely oppressive. Its sheer pressure threatened to suffocate everything around it, spreading across the battlefield and making the atmosphere feel almost impossible to endure.

This was no ordinary dungeon monster.

It was a peak A-Grade, Level 20 monster.

The dungeon boss.

At the same time, Katherine’s system flashed before her.

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

The messages appeared one after another, each more alarming than the last. For a brief moment, the system seemed to pause, as though processing the threat standing before her.

Then the warning changed.

The words turned a blinding red.

DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!