Chapter 174: Tier 5: Regroup
Chapter 174: Tier 5: Regroup
Dal-soo's group arrived just in time. And with one additional S-rank hunter, killing the White Undead Knight was a breeze.
The White Undead Knight knelt and evaporated into the air. Gang-ho and In-ah's attacks were enough to make the creature completely helpless after its movement got restrained by the Godly Doctor.
"What happened?! Why are you guys here?"
"What happened there?!"
Gang-ho and In-ah rushed to Dal-soo and asked about the situation. They only separated in about 15 hours. So, there was no way Dal-soo's group had already taken care of all the creatures with powers slightly above those S-rank hunters and then caught up with them.
In-ah was the first to notice Ji-woo's absence and predicted a situation where Dal-soo's group should run away and leave Ji-woo alone. But, she didn't open her mouth to interrupt and waited for Dal-soo's real explanation.
Dal-soo himself didn't speak right away and looked around him first. He saw that it didn't seem like they had any casualties and felt a little relieved. However, that feeling was only temporary. He remembered what Ji-woo said and started to reveal the reason he caught up with Gang-ho's group.
"Are you sure that boy can handle it? Even for me, and In-ah, fighting one such creature is very difficult."
"But, it's true. If you don't believe me, Hyung can ask my group members. They all witnessed how Ji-woo defeated the two creatures in a few minutes."
"What Senior Oh said is true, guild Headmaster. We saw it."
However, there were those who did not conform with the statement and tried to downgrade Ji-woo. "He's probably lucky that the two creatures are already exhausted from our attacks. So, it can get easily defeated by the boy."
Several hunters in Dal-soo's group feel something wrong with their ears when they hear those words. And the hunter returned the gaze of his comrades with contempt.
"What!? Was what I said wrong!?"
Dal-soo slapped his forehead and was about to drag the hunter away for speaking disparagingly. However, he got stopped by Gang-ho.
"Enough! Now, what do you think we should do?" Gang-ho asked Dal-soo. He wanted to hear the Godly Doctor's opinion because it involved a complete change of plans. Regarding Ji-woo, believe it or not. It was not an important thing to take care of.
After all, Gang-ho also wanted to know if Ji-woo's boasting was just bullsh*t or true. Alive, meaning that his boasting was according to his strength. No, then such was the fate of a loser.
"I want to talk to In-ah and Gang-ho Hyung. The rest, stay away and recharge yourselves. There's still a long way to go."
All the hunters near the three S-rank hunters finally moved away and tended to their wounds.
"Hyung, it's good that none of the Vanguard team members died. However, this situation won't go smoothly like this all the time. We might not be lucky this time."
"Calm down. Why are you talking like that? I know we're at a level-5 Portal Gate. No one thought it would be easy."
Dal-soo shook his head and said solemnly.
"Dual Owner."
It took Gang-ho and In-ah by surprise. What they just heard was more difficult to accept than the story of Ji-woo defeating two tier-5 Portal Gate creatures.
"Are you sure!? How do you know? Don't make it up without proof!"
Gang-ho was clearly displeased if it was just an estimate without any concrete evidence to back it up.
Dal-soo explained what Ji-woo said earlier about the two elements. In-ah and Gang-ho listen intently, and over time, it was undeniable that the likelihood of a Dual Owner situation was high.
"Fire and ice…,"
"It's ridiculous."
Gang-ho and In-ah were bewildered. But, they couldn't help but get a little convinced by it. Gang-ho looked at the two mountains back and forth, assessing the situation. He needed to consider the strength of those creatures and estimate the power of the Dungeon Owner.
"The possibility of Dual Owners does exist. However, it's better not to worry about that for now. And focus on exterminating those creatures first. If we can eradicate all the creatures that exist in this dungeon, our chances of survival are also high, even if Dual Owners do appear."
Gang-ho planned to continue his hunt as before. And by limiting the creatures that get faced with only three. No more than that. It was because the Vanguard team had regrouped. Thus, he felt confident that they could take on such a number at once without endangering the entire team.
The key to survival was patience.
"Hyung, three is too much. Two should be enough. Even though it will take a long time, it would be best if we all could survive. We will lose a lot if we have to race against time and lose a few hunters in the process. Then the Demigod guild will fall from its status as the top three unions of South Korea."
Dal-soo preferred a safer situation than a risky one. So, he wanted Gang-ho to consider the possibility of them losing manpower if they were not careful.
However, Gang-ho didn't care about Dal-soo's words and rejected them outright.
"If we continue to be in the safe line, when will the Demigod guild expand and overtake the Shadow guild and the Artates guild? The hunters and we ourselves will not grow stronger either if we continue to play it safe. We are hunters, and death will always be by our side at all times. We can't run forever."
Dal-soo lowered his face and closed his eyes. What Gang-ho said was not wrong. It could be because he was too worried about things that may not happen. So, he didn't dare to step forward. He needed to put his trust in his guildmates.
The Vanguard team without Ji-woo continued their hunt after resting for about an hour. The Mana capacity of the hunters was also almost all full again. However, it cost them a lot in terms of Magic Crystals and Magic Stones, especially since the hunters on the team were A-rank and B-rank. Since in a calculation had more needs than E-rank and D-rank hunters.
Not long after, some hunters spread out in a small circle, checking the surroundings of the Vanguard team.
Gang-ho took the lead with vigilance towards the Dual Owners. So, he didn't have the slightest sense or thought to underestimate any existing situation.
And the group that circled the area returned. They lure two White Undead Knights to gang up on.
Gang-ho and In-ah certainly get prepared for that. Coupled with having Dal-soo control the two White Undead Knights, everything went smoothly.
Unfortunately, the Vanguard team could only outperform the two White Undead Knights for the first five minutes. After that, things really took a 180-degree turn for the hunters.
Whenever the three S-rank hunters were about to finish off one of the White Undead Knights, the others would quickly come to mess it up. That could happen because dozens of other hunters could not restrict the movement of that one White Undead Knight, causing an imbalance in the battle.
Those A-rank and B-rank hunters needed to rack their brains to think of a way to allow them to keep up with just one such creature.. Otherwise, the Demigod Guild's Vanguard team would get wiped out in the dungeon.