Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 116

Before long, the Haenampa Guild’s raid team arrived at the boss room. Shin Seong-gwak couldn't hide his admiration.

"That was fast."

Even when the path to the boss room is known, the time taken to reach it always varies depending on the situation inside the dungeon. If it takes longer than expected, it is not unusual, but it is rare for a dungeon raid to be completed in a shorter time. However, Hae Eung-eung had managed to pull off the rare feat.

[But it wasn't fast enough.]

There were signs of an intrusion near the boss room. As expected, when the door opened, the earlier team appeared. The raid team that had entered first had already defeated the boss and were preparing to wrap things up.

"Haha, just suck your thumb and watch."

"Taebaek Guild!"

"What a surprise."

Since Haenampa Guild had arrived at such a high speed, it was even more shocking to see this turn of events. Nina and Nana-se were stunned by the fact that the boss raid was almost over already. Bang Bae-deok, the raid leader of Taebaek Guild, proudly pointed at his team members.

"See that? We're not weaklings relying on broadcasts. All 20 of us are ascendants."

They had only brought the necessary combatants, and as a result, their combat power was the highest among the three guilds. Their strength, based on their belief in combat prowess, had led Taebaek Guild to arrive at the boss room first.

"That’s not 20."

"It's only 15."

"The ones who are dead will still be with us as spirits. They must be cheering us on from beyond."

"What are you talking about?"

"I thought you were a necromancer."

Bang Bae-deok glared at them with a twisted face. Their constant chatter and taunts had been irritating him.

‘Is that the boss?’

Hae Eung-eung’s gaze shifted not to the dying monsters but upwards towards the ceiling. The thin threads that connected the Living Armors were reaching towards the ceiling.

"Damn it. Everyone, back off!"

Shin Seong-gwak warned in a serious tone.

"That’s not the boss."

"Haha, say whatever you want."

Bang Bae-deok sneered. The jealousy of the loser was clear. His attitude was unbecoming for someone who had reached the boss room. Had he forgotten he had brought a cameraman? With this attitude, his efforts to win the favor of the residents would turn against him, resulting in failure.

"Hey, cameraman. Make sure you film this. Watch how the great Medusa, the strongest dungeon boss of Myeongho-dong Gate, is being hunted by our Taebaek Guild."

"What are you doing? Get away from there!"

"But we've come all this way, shouldn’t we film the boss dying, old man?"

"Then listen to me even more carefully."

Shin Seong-gwak couldn’t hide his tension as he spoke.

"That’s a fake dungeon boss. It’s the child of Medusa, a young Medusa. Taebaek Guild has only just completed Phase 1 of the boss fight!"

No sooner had Shin Seong-gwak finished his warning than one of Taebaek Guild’s members beheaded Medusa’s neck.

[Dungeon Boss Medusa (B+) has been defeated.] [The entire boss room vibrates with the anger of ???.]

The boss room rumbled with the sound of scraping stone walls. Beyond the open wall, a space several times larger than the current room could be seen. Filling that massive space was an enormous Medusa, with a body stretching over dozens of meters, letting out a dreadful wail.

Kiiiaaaaahhh!
"Ugh!"

"I-I can’t breathe..."

"Fear, this is too much to handle!"

[The True Dungeon Boss, Adult Medusa (A-) has appeared.] [The level of Adult Medusa has increased due to anger over the death of its child. (A)] [The aura of fear around the enraged Adult Medusa is now activated.]

Taebaek Guild’s raid team froze in fear. Their heads involuntarily rose upwards.

"Bow your heads! If you look at its eyes, your body will freeze!"

The Haenampa Guild, who were outside the aura's range, immediately followed Shin Seong-gwak's warning and lowered their heads. However, the terrified Taebaek Guild raid team, despite their reluctance, looked up and met Medusa's gaze. The famous myth from Greek and Roman legend—the Curse of Stone—took effect immediately.

[You have been cursed by the Gaze of Petrification (Level 1).] [Your joints have stiffened and cannot move freely.] [If you continue to meet its gaze, the curse will worsen.]

The fear status effect followed by the Petrification Curse, gradually worsening as time passed.

"This is bad."

"Shin Seong-gwak, do you have any way to counter Medusa?"

A Royal Club security member asked.

"Yes, but we can’t use it yet."

"Why not?"

"Medusa is supposed to burst out of its lair and tear through the dungeon, chasing ascendants. During that time, hidden dungeon items are usually discovered in the broken walls."

That was the method Shin Seong-gwak had been briefed on for hunting Medusa. The problem was that Medusa wasn’t moving.

[It’s not that it isn’t moving. Medusa simply can’t move.]

Hae Eung-eung realized what was happening. The white scales that seemed to be Medusa’s body were actually part of a gigantic cocoon that bound her body and limbs in a massive spider web.

Grrr… grrgrr… grrrr…

To make matters worse, the massive Medusa’s appearance caused the entire dungeon to shake even more intensely. Dust exploded into the air, filling their vision with choking clouds.

"Cough, cough."

"Ugh, someone, please do something about this."

Ascendants gasped and struggled in the worsening environment. Amidst the chaotic conditions, a hemispherical shield appeared, providing a safe zone for them.

"Cough."

"I can’t open my eyes..."

"Here, drink some water."

"Someone wipe the dirt off Nana-se's face!"

"Oh my, our stars really got hit hard."

Nina and Nana-se, crawling on the ground, managed to escape the worst of the dust. Like children resting their heads on their mother's hands, they had their faces wiped and drank water, finally regaining some composure and taking a moment to survey their surroundings.

"Why are the older guys still fine?"

"This doesn’t make sense."

"Our? We used this."

The cameraman showed a hemispherical device that looked like a lie detector.

"It’s a safety zone generator. The representative bought it because it was too expensive to risk the filming equipment breaking and hard to find another cameraman for dungeon shoots."

"SG can cover such a large area? Wow. Must’ve cost a fortune."

"We’re grateful to the representative’s generosity."

The safety zone generator, known as SG, was a special device. While typical SGs create small safety zones for four-person parties, this one had a 25-person capacity, capable of protecting the entire group.

The representative of the Royal Club, Han Chae-rin, always made sure to support her team, ensuring the safety of the cameramen and equipment, giving everyone a chance to catch their breath.

[Wait, I’ll borrow this.]

"Huh? Ah, don’t touch that! It’s heavy, you’ll get hurt... huh? You’re carrying it?"

Hae Eung-eung borrowed a large sword from one of the security personnel. She stepped outside the safety zone, gripping the sword with both hands.

‘If this chaotic environment continues, casualties will keep piling up.’

The dust covered Medusa’s eyes, and at first, it might seem like the environment favored the humans. However, Hae Eung-eung sensed an ominous energy outside the safety zone, where the fog and tremors originated.

<Advanced Reverse Sword Technique> <First Strike - One Sweep to Clear the Clouds>
With one swing, the clouds are swept away—an attack from the famous martial family of Hebe in the North. A technique that creates space, much like clearing the air to secure one’s territory.

One Sweep to Clear the Clouds was unleashed through the large sword Hae Eung-eung had borrowed.

Swish!

It was as if a rainbow had appeared in the blue sky, as the murky dust was swept away in a fan-shaped arc.

"Wow."

"That was a beautiful shot."

"Her skills are truly impressive."

"Did you capture it?"

"It’s all recorded."

"Make sure to capture the reactions too."

It was a beautiful scene, like something out of a dream. The peak of martial arts, transformed into art before their very eyes. But that moment of beauty was short-lived.

"This is definitely going to cause some trouble."

With Shin Seong-gwak’s single remark, the expanded vision revealed something that shouldn’t have been seen.

"Oh, my."

"Oh my god."

"How many Living Armors are there?"

The Taebaek Guild raid team, numbering around ten members.

[The Living Armor Legion has appeared.]

They were all overwhelmed by the Living Armors in the chaos.

"So, Medusa above and Living Armors controlling Taebaek Guild below?"

[There are more above.]

Shin Seong-gwak looked up after reading the notebook from Hae Eung-eung.

Even he, with all his experience, couldn’t hide his shock at the sight above.

"Is that... a temple?"

[It looks like a workshop.]

A structure woven from white threads, reminiscent of a celestial temple. Inside the beautiful workshop, there was a giant loom spinning the thread, and an artisan with eight legs skillfully weaving the threads into Living Armor, working with precision.

This was the danger Hae Eung-eung had always been on guard against—the final destination of the thread-like energy.

The largest variable in Myeongho-dong Gate.

[The Tier Boss has appeared.]

The Proud Arachne was looking down at them.