Chapter 9
Creeeak.
The boss room slowly opened.
The raid party gripped their weapons and formed ranks.
Thunderous footsteps echoed from the chamber's heart.
"Twin Head!"
The raid leader shouted.
This boss was a Twin Head Ogre—larger than regular ogres, with two heads, four arms, and a different weapon in each hand: sword, club, spear, hammer.
Whooosh!
The creature crossed its arms and swung wildly, dual voices roaring at the intruders:
"Grooooooar!"
"Greeeeaargh!"
"Spread out!"
The raiders widened their formation.
The Twin Head tracked them with two pairs of eyes.
"Hyaaaah!"
The leader's cry seized the monster's attention.
Cra-ack!
Four arms hammered down mercilessly. The leader crouched behind his shield, body trembling under impacts that threatened to shatter his bones.
"Attack! Now!"
Ranged strikes poured from behind.
'This is inefficient.'
Ja-geon clicked his tongue. Against a twin-headed foe, three squads would outperform their crude front-rear formation.
Thud!
The leader grimaced as his Mimic's Tooth Shield spat endless projectiles. No exaggeration—this item worked even in C-rank dungeons.
Thud-thud-thud!
Teeth embedded across the ogre's flesh.
'Getting this for one health potion? Perfect.' The leader grinned, pressing forward.
Tch.
Ja-geon smirked from afar, arms crossed. "Classic noob mistake with their first good item," he said, drawing Big Bo's puzzled glance. His sharp eyes studied the shield. "Overconfidence breeds obsession. That shield's reached its limit."
Four weapons struck as one.
Craaack!
The Mimic's Tooth Shield shattered under relentless abuse.
"Huh? Wha—"
True terror flooded the leader as he looked up at the intact ogre. Only now did he grasp the boss's true menace.
"Aaaaahh!"
He scrambled backward. A blade flashed.
Splurtch!
Half his thighs sheared off as he collapsed, screaming: "Save meee!"
"Damn it! Hold the line! Protect the rear!"
Members dragged him away, legs regenerating with a sizzle. Three minutes until combat-ready.
"It's bleeding out! Push harder!"
"Focus fire!"
The ogre slowed, crimson pooling beneath it. The party unleashed their final assault.
Thoom!
The Twin Head knelt, exhausted.
"Behead it!"
Weary members approached—
Crack. Crack.
Ja-geon stretched his neck and drew his sword. "Watch closely, Big Bo."
As the raiders severed one head, the enraged ogre thrashed.
'Now.'
"Binding Release."
The experience share dissolved. A low chuckle escaped his shadowed lips.
"What the hell is that bastard doing?"
The raid members didn't understand what was happening.
They simply stared blankly at Jagun.
A mere moment was all Jagun needed.
He broke through their ranks and closed in on the Twin-Headed Ogre.
"Hey! Stop him! Block him now!"
Another raider moved to intercept.
Swish!
Jagun twisted his body.
He slipped between their blades like a man reading the future.
'I've already memorized your habits.'
All fighters have unconscious attack patterns.
The first panicked strike always defaults to muscle memory.
Jagun hadn't reached this point through luck.
He'd studied every movement of the raid party.
Thunk!
An arrow pierced Jagun's back.
His vision blurred.
One more hit would kill him.
Clang!
Jagun's blade screeched against the ground.
His focus never left the Ogre's remaining head.
The plan was simple:
Break formation. Kill the Twin-Headed Ogre.
The beast had weakened enough for a Level 9 like him to finish it.
"Huuu..."
He drew and released a breath.
Muscles loosened. Sword raised.
Whip-like arms in motion, steel upon impact.
His body remembered the cutting technique.
Stats were just numbers.
Light bled from Jagun's pupils.
Spiral irises glowed fiercely.
Schwing!
A clean strike.
The Ogre's head tumbled.
Blood erupted from the severed neck.
Whoosh!
Energy surged through Jagun's body.
The violent pulse of rapid level-ups.
He felt the power coiling in his veins.
"Keh...kehkeh...PUHAHAHA—!"
Jagun spread his arms and laughed.
He seized a sword dropped by the Ogre:
[Soul Demon Blade]
A broad, heavy weapon favored by ogres. Capable of cleaving horses in half when wielded by its original masters.
The raid party finally grasped the situation.
"You insane fuck! You solo-killed it?!"
Jagun had slain the boss while unpartied.
Every ounce of XP funneled solely to him.
"Got a death wish? You fucking psycho!"
Solo kills were tactics for carry runs.
Never used in proper raids.
Even the greediest avoided it—
unless they wanted execution by surviving members.
Madness swirled in Jagun's eyes.
No trace remained of his former meekness.
"So?"
He exhaled derisively.
Teeth gleamed in his stretched grin.
"Rule-breakers get punished! Kill him!"
The raid leader roared.
Clang!
Jagun raised the Soul Demon Blade.
He deflected incoming arrows with the flat of the sword.
"Punishment is the strong bullying the weak, morons. I'm stronger now. Who dares 'punish' me?"
Jagun: Level 21.
A tier requiring ten E-class dungeon clears.
Only possible through his solo kill.
Still below the raid's average level.
By stats, he shouldn't survive 1v1 fights.
Any sane raider would've died here.
'But I'm Shin Jagun.'
The arrogance reeked of blood.
Yet he'd earned it.
No stat sheet could quantify his experience.
Jagun trusted his instincts over visible numbers.
Crunch!
The impossible happened.
Shin Jagun swung.
A frontliner fell—armor and all.
"He...cleaved through plate?!"
Spectators stared in horror.
His stats made this feat inconceivable.
'Weak points. Fatigued gear.'
The raiders were battle-worn.
Their equipment degraded.
Jagun's eyes missed nothing.
"Block him! Kill him now!"
The leader barked.
He drew his sword, encircling Jagun with others.
"Sharp little thing,"
Jagun wiped blood from the blade.
He licked crimson from his palm, grinning.
"You think you'll walk away after this? Not scared of retribu— Gack!"
The speaker collapsed mid-sentence, severed at the knees.
"Retribution requires survivors. How pathetic—ten of you trembling before one man. Let's see...my level? Ah, just 21."
Truthfully, Jagun couldn't stop them fleeing.
Hunting down all ten was impossible.
'He's only Level 21.'
But retreat never crossed their minds.
A jump from 9 to low 20s meant nothing.
Why would 30ish raiders fear him?
