Chapter 10: The Fall of the Kobold General

The battle began in earnest as the Tankers rushed to the front to draw the boss’s attention. They activated various aggro-generating and defensive skills, rapidly building their contribution points. Seizing the opening, the melee dealers took positions behind the boss, unleashing a barrage of powerful strikes.

Boom! Crash! Thud!

Ranged dealers, including rangers and mages, joined the fray immediately, while healers focused on keeping the Tankers standing, securing their own share of the contribution. Watching the chaos, Se-hyeon prepared to make his move.

‘Boots of Wind!’

Levitating slightly off the ground, he channeled his mana.

‘Shadow Orb!’

He summoned five orbs. Although he had the boots active just in case, he judged that standing relatively still to focus on orb control would be more efficient for now.

‘Tsk. Tankers in the front, dealers in the back. Anywhere I hit, someone’s going to get caught in the blast radius. This is awkward. Is the head my only clear target?’

Raiding as part of a large group felt more cumbersome to Se-hyeon than he had expected. Since Shadow Orb was an explosive spell, he had to ensure his allies weren’t caught in the friendly fire. Ultimately, the only spot he could target safely on the three-meter-tall beast was its massive head.

‘Let’s try it.’

While hitting the torso would have been easier, the situation demanded precision.

Whish! Whish!

Five Shadow Orbs streaked through the air. Occupied with the annoying Tankers at its feet, the Kobold General failed to notice the incoming projectiles.

BANG!

The first orb scored a direct hit on its forehead.

— Kreeeeek?

As the General staggered from the impact, the second and third orbs followed up relentlessly.

Boom! Crash!

By focusing entirely on control rather than movement, Se-hyeon was able to snipe the head with terrifying accuracy.

— Aaaagh! Krrra-argh!

Being struck repeatedly in its most vulnerable spot caused the Kobold General to reel back several steps.

‘Shadow Orb!’

Woooooom!

Before the first five were even fully spent, Se-hyeon cast more, maintaining a constant cycle of five orbs in the air.

Bang! Ka-boom!

He gave the General no room to breathe, peppering its face with constant explosions.

‘Shadow Orb! Shadow Orb!’

The onslaught was relentless.

— KRAAAA-AAAAARGH!

Enraged by the one-sided battering, the Kobold General let out a deafening, earth-shaking roar.

“Urgh!” “Ack!”

The roar carried a Fear effect, momentarily paralyzing the hunters. However, the effect slid right off Se-hyeon. Whether it was thanks to the Magic Ring Zelostan or the Fragment of Kartemian, he remained unfazed.

Simultaneously, a crimson aura erupted from the General’s body.

Vooooooom!

The boss had reached its rage threshold. It was entering a Berserk state.

‘Phase 2?’

In the raid videos Se-hyeon had studied, bosses always transformed after taking a certain amount of damage, either boosting their stats or changing their patterns. The Kobold General was clearly opting for raw power.

— Krr-argh!

With bloodshot eyes and a glowing red aura, the General swung its massive iron mace with terrifying force.

Whoooooosh!

Choi Min-cheol, the first to shake off the Fear effect, desperately raised his shield and shouted a skill.

“Kh! Iron Shield!”

A silver light enveloped his shield just as the mace collided with it.

CRUNCH!

Despite the skill, the sheer force of the blow sent Min-cheol flying backward like a ragdoll.

“Gah!” Tumble!

He rolled across the stone floor, but luckily, the Iron Shield had absorbed enough of the impact to keep him alive.

“By the holy light, I heal thy wounds! Healing!”

The healer from his party quickly cast a spell on him. Min-cheol struggled to his feet, gripping his shield again, but the situation had spiraled. The berserk Kobold General began swinging its mace wildly, attacking everything in its vicinity.

“Help! The Tankers!” “Block it! Hold the line!”

Boom! Thud!

Fortunately, the boss remained focused on the Tankers who had the highest aggro, giving the melee dealers a chance to retreat.

“Urgh!” “Gack!”

One by one, the Tankers were swatted aside, unable to withstand the General’s buffed strength. Seeing the front line collapse, Se-hyeon decided to take over.

“Everyone, fall back! I’ll handle him from here!”

Until now, he had stayed back, letting the Tankers take the hits. Now, there was no other choice but to engage directly. He shot forward like a bullet.

Swaaaaaak!

He reduced his orb count from five to three to ensure he could maintain high-speed micro-movements. As the hunters scrambled away, the General tried to pursue them.

— KRAAAAARGH! Thud! Thud!

Despite its size, it was remarkably fast, but Se-hyeon cut it off.

“Not so fast!”

Whish!

With his allies finally clear of the blast zone, Se-hyeon unleashed his orbs on the General’s joints and torso without restraint.

Boom! Ka-boom! Crash! — Skreee! Graaaagh!

The repeated direct hits caused the General to falter, finally turning its murderous gaze away from the hunters and toward Se-hyeon.

“That’s it. Just you and me for round two.”

With a cold smirk, Se-hyeon accelerated using his boots.

Swaaaaash!

He danced around the beast, firing orbs continuously.

Whish! Whish!

However, the General wasn’t a total pushover. It began using its mace to swat the Shadow Orbs out of the air.

Clang! Boom!

It couldn’t catch them all, but thanks to its berserk state, it seemed to ignore the damage it did take.

— KRAAAAARGH!

Realizing it couldn’t catch the fly buzzing around it, the General crouched low, drawing its mace back like a swordsman preparing a quick-draw strike. It braced itself, absorbing the impact of Se-hyeon’s orbs with its raw muscle.

‘Wait… something feels off. I can’t let him finish that.’

Whatever skill it was charging, Se-hyeon knew he shouldn’t let it resolve.

‘Break his posture!’

Whish!

Se-hyeon targeted the General’s ankles and the back of its head simultaneously.

Bang! Bang! BOOM! — Krrrgh!

The plan worked. The General’s legs buckled, and its head snapped forward, interrupting the charge. Seeing the opening, Se-hyeon decided to end it.

Slide.

Stopping his movement, he funneled every drop of mana into a massive cast.

‘Shadow Orb!’

Voom! Voom! Voom!

The air filled with black spheres until thirty of them hovered ominously. He pointed his hand toward the staggered boss.

SHAAAAAAK!

The Kobold General looked up, trying to recover its stance, only to see thirty black suns descending upon it.

— Krr…?

It was too late. There was nowhere to run. It could only stare blankly as its end arrived.

KA-BOOM! BOOM! CRASH! ROAR!

Thirty explosions consumed the General in a blinding flash of dark energy. Already weakened from the previous strikes, the boss couldn’t survive the concentrated firepower.

— KRAAAAAA-AAAAARGH!

With a final, agonizing shriek, the massive body of the Kobold General slowly toppled over.

THUD!

The silence that followed was broken by the thunderous cheers of the raid group.

“He… he did it! It’s down!” “Unbelievable. He actually soloed that monster.” “That magic is terrifying… I saw it during the wave, but this is another level.” “Haha! It’s over! Finally, the rewards!”

When the General had gone berserk, everyone had tasted despair. Now, they looked at Se-hyeon with awe and turned their eyes toward the looming rewards. Se-hyeon took a deep breath, looking at the fallen giant.

“Whew. A boss is a boss, I guess. That wasn’t easy.”

If anyone else had heard him, they would have been outraged. He had killed the boss without a scratch. But to Se-hyeon, who expected 10 or 20 orbs to do the job, having to go all-out felt like a genuine challenge.

Moments later, the system message appeared.

[The Boss of the Kobold Nest, [Kobold General], has been defeated. Calculating contribution…]

The hunters held their breath.

[Contribution calculation complete.] [1st: Jang Se-hyeon – 97%] [2nd: Choi Min-cheol – 0.7%] [3rd: Do Seong-ho – 0.5%] … [Distributing rewards based on contribution.]

A staggering 97% contribution. As the message faded, a small box materialized in front of Se-hyeon.

Flash!

“Oh? So this is how it works.”

The box glowed with a brilliant, iridescent light—a stark contrast to the plain wooden boxes appearing before the others.

[Contribution reward distribution complete.] [Boss Room seal released.] [Dungeon cleared. The dungeon will dissipate in 48 hours.]

Se-hyeon had done it. In his very first dungeon run, he had stopped a wave, killed an Elite, and soloed the Boss. His debut as a Hunter was a resounding success.