It was one of those days again.
It was a busy, sweaty, and exhausting day.
Of course, not everything was going well in the shelter.
There were always minor problems, and long-term solutions were being sought.
People had gotten used to it. The population had reached almost 300.
A strong military discipline had been established, and Marcus had been put in charge. For now, Marcus had chosen to stay in the background. He didn't show up unless there was a direct threat to the shelter.
Thanks to the meditation technique he practiced, he no longer had to struggle to kill zombies.
Marcus had chosen peace, silence, and tranquility.
Joseph was initially angry with Marcus for this.
He scolded him, hit him, beat him, and worst of all, thought Marcus was broken.
However, it didn't take long for him to understand the difference in physical strength and mental harmony between him and Marcus.
When he realized this, everything changed.
Joseph encouraged everyone to become Level 11, and after a while, a second Level 11 was born. It was exactly two weeks after Marcus' transformation. This person was Eliza.
She had chosen a class called "Ley Master." Its rarity was 3%. It wasn't very rare, but it was compatible with Eliza.
It allowed Eliza to control ley.
Ley functioned like a telepathic power. It provided access to supernatural powers such as telekinesis and magic.
The characteristics of Eliza's class were as follows.
[Ley Master: They are experts at controlling ley energy. They can be superior in ley attacks, but they are also adequate in defense. Ley is more than anything else a tool. A tool for a purpose. Ley +20%, Ley Control Substat +15, Ley Pool Substat +10, Perception +10%, Foresight Substat +5]
[Ley Master: You can control Ley. Ley control speed +10%]
[Ley Bolt: You can extract Ley from your body, combine it in your hands to grow 10 times larger, and use it for attack purposes.]
Eliza's passive ability allowed her to bend ley like a toy, wrap it around objects and throw them, and even fire guns by controlling them with ley. Of course, she wasn't very good at controlling ley yet, so she could only control one object at a time.
She could also throw small and simple objects such as stones and bullets by empowering them with ley, creating an effect stronger than a bullet fired from a gun.
Her Ley Bolt ability was a game changer in itself.
A single ley bolt cost half of her ley pool and took five seconds to form in her hand, but it blew a hole the size of a soccer ball in the body of a level nine special zombie, rendering its slowness negligible.
Eliza's abilities didn't stop there. Because she could control Ley, she could control the earth, just like the monolith had been formed. That's why she had been working non-stop for several days, building large walls around the shelter.
Marcus was the hidden ace of the shelter, while Eliza had become a well-known and beloved figure among the people.
Eliza's reaching Level 11 gave the people in the shelter courage.
Joseph hunted with the soldiers for several days and finally reached Level 11.
Edmond and Pete followed suit.
In a short time, five people reached Level 11, and they decided to clear the open dungeon.
The courage of the many was the right word.
Otherwise, no one would have dared to even glance at the creature at the center of the dungeon.
More than ten people gathered in front of the open dungeon that day.
Joseph, Marcus, Eliza, Pete, and Edmond were participating as Level 11 members.
Even though Ed was only Level 5, he would support them with his blessings.
Then, Level 10 Kim, Level 9 Min-Jun and Mick, and finally Level 8 Jason would be in this attack team.
Saleem, Bradley, and Liam would support them from behind with their blessings, just like Ed.
Finally, there was Elias. He would also take on the role of communicator.
Since no communication devices such as walkie-talkies worked inside the Open Dungeon, he would stand by to notify the outside if anything happened to those inside.
They couldn't call William because they hadn't heard from him for three days. Moreover, since William had entered the level cycle, Joseph considered him no different from Kim or Min-Jun.
The first stage of the open dungeon was child's play for them. They easily cleared 100 zombies for everyone.
In the second stage, they didn't waste much time. They only severely wounded the special zombies along the way and left the final blow for those below Level 11 to take advantage of.
When they reached the entrance to the third stage, everyone was serious.
Looking at the zombie inside, staring at the sky and never changing its posture, made their hearts pound.
Joseph had chosen a class called "Silent Striker."
The main feature of this class was in its name. It was silent. Every movement he made, no matter what it was or how it was done, was silenced. The ley in his body automatically activated, suppressing all sounds coming from his body.
This included the weapons and tools he used.
It was a class that gave bonuses to speed and ley. The exact description was as follows.
[Silent Striker: Sound is your enemy's main weapon. Sensory control is what you know best. Your movements are in harmony with your body, and ley silences you. Ley +15%, SPEED +10%, Ley Pool Substat +10, Evasion, Reflexes, and Accuracy Substat +10]
[Silent Strike: Your melee attacks make no sound.]
[Sound Mode: An ability that can be used actively or passively. Passive: +10% power to silent attacks. Active: +30% power to loud attacks.]
Joseph's abilities sounded complicated, but his class came with skills that made them easier to use. His ley pool ability limited how long he could use it actively, but it was sufficient. He could make at least five attacks while it was active.
Pete's abilities were completely useless here, but he got so many bonuses to his secondary stats that his base power was more than enough.
Pete chose the "Trainer" class, and his true power came out when he was training someone. His ability required him to bond with someone, and he could transfer 10% of that person's basic stats to himself as a bonus.
The person Pete bonded with had to be of a lower level than himself, so the most logical choice was Min-Jun, who focused on strength and speed, and he chose him.
Thanks to the power Min-Jun provided, Pete's physical abilities were now roughly on par with Marcus.
Edmond, on the other hand, had chosen a more aggressive class, which was unexpected.
[Bullet Master: Firearms were made for you. Ley, it exists for you to wield firearms. Ley +20%, Ley Control +5, Ley Pool +10, Ley Purity +5. Strength +5% Physical Damage Substat +5]
[Bullet Hell: The weapon and bullets you use are automatically covered with Ley. While in this state, Accuracy is +5% and Strength is +10%.
[Bullet Heaven: You can refill Ley by collecting empty shells. When this ability is used, empty and lost Ley on bullets within a 2-meter radius will return to the body.
Edmond was already prepared. His body was covered in bullets, and he had several machine guns and energy weapons strapped to his back.
They didn't stop there, and Kim had brought a few boxes of bullets with him to support Edmond if necessary.
Mick was going to give orders just like Ed. The plan had already been decided, and the two of them would say the same things and give the same orders. They agreed that not a single word would come out of their mouths.
Min-Jun had prepared himself to attack the openings Kim had pointed out, moving with Pete. This time, he thought he could even tolerate going into berserk mode 50% of the time because Liam was with them.
Liam's blessing was his "Soothing Voice." When he spoke, he had an air about him that calmed those around him, and when he shouted, the opposite was true.
Bradley, along with Saleem, would be in the rear, transporting the group.
Cold weapons, hot weapons, and thousands of bullets were ready on their backs.
In case of any trouble, the two would carry bullets until they ran out and swords until they broke.
Finally, Jason was in charge of rescue.
His role was just as important as Elias's.
He would remove anyone who was unable to fight, had been seriously injured, or couldn't use the key from the battlefield and make sure they could use the key.
With what William had given them, they had more than enough healing potions, and Jason was carrying them all.
His role was one of the most important.
Joseph stood at the front. Despite his age, he was one of the strongest in the team and had no intention of giving up until his last breath.
They had to complete this open dungeon somehow.
They had to discover the rewards, the punishments, the monolith outside, and the tower beyond it. There could be no room for doubt in his mind, and he had to clear his mind of these thoughts.
New Telludure was almost cleared. Soon, he would have to build huge walls with Elura and Edmond, who had reached Level 11 and gained ley control abilities, and provide people with a more comfortable life in a larger area.
After that, he would have to communicate with the survivors somehow, improve and grow, and rule them.
It was true that Joseph had his own selfish thoughts, but according to his beliefs, none of them were bad. He wanted to be the one to lead humanity to the dawn of salvation.
He turned his head and looked at everyone.
"For the future!" he said.
Everyone shouted at the same time with all their might. "For the future!"
Joseph was the first to enter. Marcus and Eliza followed him.
The moment Marcus entered, he felt the horror of the creature in front of him.
Unlike the zombies outside, this terrifying zombie had a huge name above its head.
[Captive Prince] [Level 11]
The moment Joseph stepped inside, he felt the creature's gaze on him.
A notification appeared above the creature, saying, "Kill the boss!"
Everyone immediately took their positions, and Marcus was the first to attack, working hard with his shield in his hand to ensure that no one else was hurt.
But this creature was different.
Unlike the others, this creature's hands were not idle.
The creature raised its left arm like a human and punched Marcus's shield.
Marcus could see the golden eyes hidden behind the creature's red hair. They shone with divine power.
The creature's eyebrows were completely still, showing no sign of worry.
Even when its fist struck Marcus's shield and sent him flying several meters backward, its face remained expressionless.
Marcus was in shock.
A single blow from the creature had been enough to cause the muscles in his back to tense excessively.
He immediately activated all his abilities and lunged forward with his mace.
Meanwhile, Joseph had already reached the creature's back, and while Marcus was being pushed back, Mick took his position with his shield.
Joseph activated his ability. His sword stabbed forward with such blinding speed that even Marcus couldn't feel it.
"Boom!" It hit the creature squarely on the back. A few strands of hair were cut in the attack, but only a thin scratch was left on the skin beneath. A few drops of blood flowed, red, and the creature's face seemed displeased. Its eyebrows were furrowed, and for the first time, it looked at someone with hostility.
Joseph realized in that moment that he had made the mistake of his life. When he turned his head to his right, he saw a huge hammer covered in golden glitter coming towards him. The hammer blow was too fast to escape and too powerful to counter.
At that moment, he heard a scream. "Arrrrrggg!!"
It was Marcus. He charged forward with all his strength, pushing Joseph's body away with his own and blocking the creature's hammer with his shield.
"BOOOOM!" The hammer blow sent him flying several meters backward. As soon as his back hit the ground, he got back up, but he felt his head spinning, and a few drops of blood trickled down the corners of his lips.
"Watch out!" he shouted. "Don't think you can withstand even one blow from that hammer!"
At that moment, Kim's accurate shot came. The sniper rifle in her hand was the most powerful and advanced in the world. The bullet hit the creature's head at an incredible speed.
The creature's head fell back, but quickly recovered.
Between the creature's eyebrows was a bullet that had penetrated only half inch into the skin and bone.
When the creature furrowed its eyebrows a little more, the bullet fell to the ground.
But that wasn't the end. Edmond was next to Kim.
He was holding two machine guns in his hands.
He had activated his ability and was using all his strength to hold the two machine guns steady.
The creature only raised one arm against the bullets and protected its eye.
Then it grabbed the hammer firmly by the end and swept it at them.
The dust that rose to the ground made it difficult to see the creature, but everyone could sense where it was.
The creature ignored the bullets raining down on it and struck Mick's shield with its left arm.
Mick immediately spat blood and fell back a few steps, but managed to get back up again with difficulty.
The pain in his back hurt him more than the creature's blow.
After striking Mick, the creature gripped the hammer tightly with its right arm and swung it at Joseph, who was running toward it from a distance. Fortunately, Joseph was prepared and still had several meters between him and the creature.
He rolled to the right and dodged the creature's hammer attack.
The creature was left defenseless as it pulled back the hammer, and that was when Pete's blow came. He hit the creature right in the face, as hard as he could, right next to its nose.
"Boom!" The creature's face moved a few inches and even some of its skin was scraped off, but it did not fall over.
Taking advantage of the creature's surprise, Pete stepped back.
The attack on the creature was not over yet. If Pete attacked, Min-Jun must be nearby.
Min-Jun had moved behind the creature.
He swung his heavy sword with all his might at the creature's back. It was an attack aimed at cutting from top to bottom, from the shoulder to the waist, and it inflicted the deepest wound the creature had received.
A two-inch-deep cut appeared on the creature's shoulder, but it wasn't enough.
Min-Jun retreated as soon as he attacked, and Marcus was there to defend him.
Seeing that its attack had been in vain and that it was still wounded, the creature let out a loud roar and lunged at the nearest person. This time it was a full leap, and no one could stop it. But at that moment, a bullet from Kim's sniper rifle and hundreds of bullets from Edmond's machine gun began to hit the creature right in the head.
The creature stopped midway and pulled out the bullets that had penetrated its forehead by a few inches. But its gaze became even more furious.
At that moment, Marcus approached the creature again and forced it into close combat. Each blow of his mace began to leave deep gashes on the creature's body and make the bruises even more visible. The creature's defense was not as strong as its attack.
Whenever the creature was about to attack, it would receive a heavy blow to the hand it was about to strike with. These blows sometimes came from Pete, sometimes from Min-Jun, and sometimes from Kim, who was capable of the most accurate shots.
The battle was getting longer and longer, and it was debatable whether the creature had taken any damage.