The War Between Humans and Elves – (1)

This was not the first time we had battled for the guilds. We crushed one called the Phoenix Hunters, and Lee Chan-yu defeated a raid from a group called the Future Makers while I was on the sixth floor. However, what was shocking was how they attacked Lee Chan-yu, who had been masquerading as a human at the time. They tried to kill him without any hesitation, not because they saw through him but because they wanted to be the first to conquer the dungeon. It sickened me to think about how far humans and their society had fallen.

When I thought about it, I supposed that fighting them in the first place had just been the catalyst needed for them to commit more resources. The Phoenix Hunters had been wiped out entirely, but the Future Makers had been continuously leading large raids. By my count, they probably brought in at least two hundred combatants into the dungeon. The fact that this dungeon was difficult, and that they had an encounter with an enemy that wasn’t a monster; these things couldn’t be concealed any further. The fact that the Black Palace was no ordinary dungeon must be spreading like wildfire out in the world.

This didn’t mean the Black Palace was packed to the brim with challengers, however. Most of the Future Makers died with dignity within the dungeon, except for one. ‘The one I saved, of course.’ I had been convinced that it would be best to leave one alive instead of killing them all. I had been hoping he would dissuade others from showing up, and it had worked until now. I had no idea what he had been saying out there, but it was enough to stop the weaklings from showing up, and it even gave the stronger ones’ caution.

But it seemed that happened was that it motivated those humans to group up, deciding it would be less risky and more profitable if they did. That had given us some time, at least, but the result was that they had collected enough people to attack the Black Palace while I was clearing the 7th floor. ‘This place I know better than anyone else now.’

The first floor was bustling with activity, people running back and forth down the passageways and fighting against the monsters within. They would have to keep that up until they found the key to the boss room; it was the path they had to take to advance to the next floor.

“Lee Chan-yu.”

“You’re already here?!” He stopped in his tracks, turning to me in amazement as I placed a hand on his shoulder. I had caught up with him on the third floor. He was even more surprised as he looked at me.

“Captain, you’ve changed again?”

“A bit, but not as much as before.” After all, I was still a Crimson Elf even though I continued to evolve as I passed through the 5th and 6th floors. The titles were becoming more grandiose and impressive-sounding, but I am still a Crimson Elf, nevertheless. I was expecting that my next evolution would be different once I finally conquered this dungeon. The quest, more difficult than ever, supported this idea of mine.

“You look way stronger than me.”

“Of course I am.”“Listen, you…!” Lee Chan-yu had also gotten stronger, now possessing the name of Beast Lord after evolving from Werewolf Beast Commander. He was still a medium-level monster, a Werewolf. But the fact he evolved twice meant he was a rare high-level species that could compete with other advanced monsters. His hellhounds that also evolved made him even more of a threat.

“I’ll go ahead, let’s stick to the plan.”

“Leave it to me.” I nodded at Lee Chan-yu before speeding down the corridor. I needed to get down to the first floor before they breach into the second, although it might be tricky to do so. The structure of the Black Palace expanded at higher levels, and it was a known tactical fact that a small space was more advantageous for a small force to fight in against a larger one. While I would probably be fine, I had to stop them in the small spaces for Lee Chan-yu’s safety. With that in mind, I sprinted at full speed through the dungeon.

I had no run-ins with monsters, knowing that there were none on this level or the next two that could stop me or even sense my presence. I was moving fast enough that even if they tried to do something, they wouldn’t be able to keep up with me. This body specialized in agility over strength, after all. And while the evolutions had increased my strength greatly, it was still nothing compared to my growth in agility. There was nothing here that could keep up with me now.

‘I’m here.’ From when I first heard from Lee Chan-yu to now, standing on the first floor, only about an hour and a half had passed. ‘No time to pat myself on the back though.’ I raised my Surprise and Fairy Tale skill to the max, letting my senses reach throughout the whole first floor. I could tell a large amount of undead had already been cleared out, and an even larger group of humans was sweeping through the dungeon. ‘570 total? Looks like most of them aren’t even level 70…but they have some stronger than level 100.’

A truly staggering amount of them had already entered, but that wasn’t all of them. I could tell large groups of them were still flowing in, and it felt like the guild’s master hadn’t even arrived yet. ‘They might be waiting outside for a report, conserving their strength. Maybe they’re waiting for me to show up?’ It seemed so funny to me that the strongest of the guild would throw all these weaker people in first to protect themselves. But I had to thank them for it. It gave me plenty of room to move around in without issue.

These were people who had entered this dungeon with the only goal of eradicating the elves. My goal was the same—annihilation, pure, and simple. My first goal was to take out the seventeen stronger members that were standing outside the boss room. They each appeared to be elites with a level over 100, probably the top representatives from each of the guilds here. My feet landed gently on the floor, the face of the warrior holding a shield up only a hair’s width away from me. I closed the distance instantly, and I could see the realization dawning on his face too late. I had already grabbed him by the neck before he could turn that realization into reaction, crushing it quickly without mercy.

[You have gained 273,003 experience.]

[You have received 298 gold, 19 silver, and 33 bronze.]

[You have acquired the items in the opponent’s inventory, which include…]

I gave no mind to the notification window that popped up, immediately using Lunatic Trickster. Sixteen abilities fired out a moment later, blocked by the huge trap I set as I stepped away. It took them a second to realize one of their comrades was dead; I had moved too quickly for their eyes to keep up. By the time they realized what had happened, the guard had already been devoured by black smoke. That confusion didn’t last long; however, as a warrior that appeared to be from the same guild opened his mouth to yell.

“-?!” No sound came out of his mouth, a stupid expression on his face as he stood there slack-jawed in confusion. The other guild members realized they were in the same boat as well, no sound leaving their mouths as they tried to speak. That was the power of my Lunatic Trickster; I set off a trap that would absorb the sound in that space. As my stamina and magic increased, so too did the power and diversity of Lunatic Trickster. This one was particularly useful for stealth assaults.I moved forward again, a flash of black lightning piercing through the heart of one of the frightened warriors who was trying to escape the trap. I followed the movement through, pushing on to the wizard, holding a staff next to him. He couldn’t resist as I pulled his head toward me and snapped it, manifesting my Demon’s Claws as tendrils to stab through three others. One of them pulled their greatsword and swung at me. A long blade of dark mana burning inside it. The remaining humans were organizing quickly to fight me.

‘Not enough.’ The battle was quick and quiet. The power these warriors had in life wasn’t small, all of them stronger than level 100. Unfortunately, they weren’t prepared for my ambush. As an assassin, I had to rely on was my speed and stealth, and I wasn’t willing to give my opponents a chance to show off their strength. I faced them dispassionately with my mind calm. My Predation skill swept over them, swallowing the bodies at once. I was quick to leave the area once the last of the remains were consumed by black smoke.

I looked through my inventory as I moved, thinking about how I could use the items I just acquired to set a trap. My inventory had grown again with my evolution, now boasting a total of 81 slots. ‘Not that it’s nearly enough to hold loot from hundreds of humans.’ I decided it would be best to consume the junk first, then deal with the good items later.

“How long is it until the next hunt?”

“How about asking the master if you can test some of this treasure?”

“Don’t be stupid. This is a dungeon that Future Maker is going to conquer.”

Only

The members of the guild alliance were at full attention, maintaining strict boundaries as they patrolled the dungeon. I was on alert for a moment where I could strike. It may have been idiotic, but the strongest of them would have to come to deal with me if I made my presence known. I swung my sword at a corridor as I passed by, collapsing the passageway and burying at least ten of the warriors. I set off an explosive trap in the middle of another corridor, setting dozens of humans aflame as I consumed the items I acquired to fuel my magic.

“He’s here!”

“He’s not alone! Stay alert!”

A bloody laugh escaped me as my feet carried me through the dungeon. It was so funny I could barely stand it. They still thought I was an entire group and not just one man.

‘Let’s begin.’ I apologized mentally to Lee Chan-yu, who was waiting ahead. ‘He might not get his turn to fight.’ I let my mana flow out of me, more than half of it, to summon an intense flame in the middle of the room I was in. It flared outward, flowing through the first floor of the dungeon and consuming the humans inside.

“Argggggh!”

“Fuck!”

With a bang, I announced the start of the war between humans and elves.