The next morning, the strike-team assembled outside the gate. They were new recruits with little experience aside from Ahjin Soft simulations and training missions. The strike-team was in high spirits as they introduced each other forming bonds of trust.
The team consisted of 6 C-rank mages and attackers, 1 B-rank healer, and 1 B-rank tank. In addition, the team was told Hunter Kihoon Son would join as team captain along with one other individual.
"Hunter Kihoon Son! Really! He is famous!" One person said…the excitement clearly palpable.
A black military truck pulled up near the gate, stepping out the truck in battle amor was Hunter Kihoon Son…his face serious with concentration. After him, a beautiful young woman with pink hair stepped out…wearing light battle armor.
The strike team stared in amazement… "That's…that's…that's Thalia!"
"Yes…that is her," said another followed by a sea of whispers.
"I am Hunter Kihoon Son, and I will be leading this strike-team. With me is Hunter Thalia. From this point forward, everything is confidential…no pictures, no social media posts…and no talking about this mission. Is that clear!"
Some additional preparations were made, then shortly after, the strike team moved through the gate.
Thalia's first raid was uneventful. The mobs in the dungeon were mostly C-rank trolls…the strike team easily handled them through their coordinated efforts.
Despite the raid being boring, Thalia was amazed to see the teamwork and efficient tactics utilized by the squad. The tank was at the front taunting the mobs, the attackers were in the middle, mages and healer in the bank. Despite being their first raid together, the team worked well.
One hour later, the strike team arrived at the boss room. The boss was a large troll holding a club in one hand. It was quickly defeated by the strike team with little effort.
The team broke formation as they congratulated one another in celebration of clearing their first dungeon.
With her active Lucidity skill, Thalia noticed a shift in the dimensional wall lining the dungeon. The wall was being stretched like chewing gum…getting thinner and thinner the more it stretched out. Before Thalia could warn her teammates, the dimensional wall ruptured and pouring out like a flood came an infestation of magic Beatles.
The Beatles quickly filled the dungeon with their toxic gas…completely caught off guard and out of formation, the strike-team was in disarray.
Some members collapsed onto their knees coughing up blood…others were paralyzed unable to move.
!ALERT!
[You have been poisoned]
[You have been paralyzed]
[You have been inflicted with Slow]
!ALERT!
[Poison has been removed]
[Paralysis has been removed]
[Slow has been removed]
As Thalia looked around, all her teammates except for Hunter Kihoon Son, were either on their knees coughing out blood or unable to move. Thalia unleashed a volley of Astra shots…the light-beams rattled the air like a machine gun. Undeterred the swarm of Beatles continued to pour out of the fractured dimensional wall.
Hunter Kihoon Son resisted the debuffs jumped in front of the helpless hunters and yelled at Thalia, "DON'T HOLD BACK! These things are A-rank beasts…and there's no end to them…HIT THEM WITH EVERYTHING YOU GOT!"
Thalia continued her relentless assault, shooting light-beam after light-beam using both hands. Meanwhile, Kihoon slashed and hacked wildly like a man possessed at the oncoming wave of Beatles.
!ALERT!
[Beattle has been defeated]
[Beattle has been defeated]
[Beattle has been defeated]
[YOU LEVELED UP!]
[Beattle has been defeated]
[Beattle has been defeated]
[Beattle has been defeated]
[YOU LEVELED UP!]
The notifications were endless….as Thalia and Kihoon fought against wave after wave of endless Beatles. Despite their best efforts, the group was overrun. One hunter yelled in pain as a Beatle ripped his arm off…another hunter screamed in fear as a Beatle ate his leg.
Thalia saw the helplessness in their eyes…their faces full of fear and desperation. She felt pity for them…they had families, wives, husbands, sons, daughters waiting for them back home…they had hopes and dreams…none of them wanted to die here…and none of them deserved such a pitiful end.
She felt her mana burning deep inside her chest…as she fired light-beam after light-beam, she felt a throbbing ache deep in her soul…it felt like a mother eagle wanting to spread her wings and shelter her baby chicks from all danger.
!ALERT!
[MAIDEN'S DOMAIN Activated]
[MAIDEN'S DOMAIN – certain skills and effects may be applied to party members and allies within the domain]
!ALERT!
[Title LIGHT MAIDEN unlocked]
[Able to activate Maiden's Domain. Mana cost is 0]
!ALERT!
[Skill RESTORATION has been unlocked]
[RESTORATION – restores object or person to former condition]
!ALERT!
[AURORA has been upgraded to CORONA]
[CORONA – Light-based magic is imbued into objects or people, increasing their attack/defense/resistance/durability]
Thalia quickly activated her two new skills, Restoration and Corona. A wave of bright light enveloped her party members…they glistened and glowed with the radiance of heavenly angels. The debuffs were canceled, and the wounds were healing…even the severed leg and arm were restored to normal condition.
Seeing the sudden turn of events, Hunter Kihoon Son shouted, "Now's our chance…everyone run! Run to the exit!"
As the party ran, Kihoon and Thalia took the rear. The two fought off waves of Beatles as they retreated to the dungeon entrance. As the last party member exited the dungeon, the portal closed (because the dungeon boss was defeated earlier).
Hunter Kihoon Son shouted, "Quick, call the medic team…and contact the base commander!"
Hae-in Cha was the first to arrive at the scene where the dungeon portal once stood…some party members were sobbing, others were shaking their heads clearly traumatized by the sudden turn of events.
"What happened in there?" Hae-in asked softly.
Looking at Thalia, who was far away helping the injured, Kihoon Son replied, "She…she saved us…she really did."
[NAME: THALIA LVL: 61
JOB: ERROR
TITLE: LIGHT MAIDEN FATIGUE: 0
HP: 9,368
MP: 8,271
STRENGTH: 76 VITALITY: 58
AGILITY: 137 INTELLEGENCE: 315
SENSE: 493
[PASSIVE]
SAVANT Lv. 1
Due to high natural affinity to mana, your growth rate is accelerated to 150%.
INSIGHT Lv. 1
Bonus to Intelligence and Sense.
[ACTIVE]
CORONA Lv. 1
Light based magic is imbued into objects or people, increasing their attack/defense/resistance/durability. May reduces magic resistance and physical defense on target area by 50% for 1 minute.
LUCIDITY Lv. 1
Allows Player to see mana. Player may see through space including dimensional walls.
Higher SENSE stat increase Player's range. Mana cost is 0.
RESTORATION Lv. 1
Restores object or person to former condition.