Seo Yu-ju swiftly moved to the monster's side and thrust her spear. The creature hastily blocked the attack with its halberd, but her figure vanished again in an instant.

Puk!

"Kieeek! You vermin! Kerek!"

It seemed the monster briefly lost track of Seo Yu-ju, and her spear pierced its arm. The creature let out a pained wail and swung its halberd wildly, shaking off the regressor.

"...Hup!"

Bang!

Seo Yu-ju blocked the monster’s attack with her spear but was pushed back significantly. It was only thanks to her strength that she endured it—had it been anyone else, they wouldn’t have survived taking the attack head-on.

Hyun-jin immediately swung his sword from behind the creature, but the monster jumped high into the air, dodging the blade’s path.

"You dare, human! Kerek!"

The moment it landed, the monster charged straight into Hyun-jin, knocking him down. Hyun-jin couldn’t avoid it in time and was sent flying from the impact.

"Kuhuk!"

The shock seemed to have shaken his insides, as he coughed up blood while lying on the ground.

"Gulp... Ugh..."

"Hyun-jin! You damn monster bastard!"

Kang Iseo moved toward Hyun-jin, seemingly intending to assist him, all while firing arrows at the monster. However, only a couple of them managed to embed themselves into its flesh.

"Kerek... You, human female. I'll chew you up from head to toe, kerek!"

The monster suddenly rushed at Kang Iseo at an incredible speed.

Seo Yu-ju also momentarily lost sight of it, her expression frozen in shock.

'No, this is bad!'

The monster was too fast. There was no way to stop it in time. Horrifying images of Kang Iseo being crushed under the halberd flashed in my mind.

As the monster closed in on Kang Iseo, she seemed to realize her impending death, shutting her eyes tightly.

"Die, human wench! Kerek!"

Everyone thought she wouldn't escape death.

"Shield of Protection!"

Bang!

A spherical shield formed around Kang Iseo, blocking the monster’s attack.

Crack!

However, the barrier shattered instantly after taking a single hit. The monster’s strength had overwhelmed its durability.

The monster swung its halberd once more.

"Such a pathetic trick! Kerek!"

Fortunately, the shield had bought enough time. Seo Yu-ju, who had closed the distance, swung her spear to block the attack, and despite my injured foot, I rushed toward Kang Iseo, shouting.

"You crazy woman! Get a grip! Do you want to die?!"

"Huh?"

Perhaps still in shock from almost dying, she sat there blankly.

I gritted my teeth, grabbed her by the arm, and hurriedly pulled her away from danger.

"Huff... Huff... Hoo!"

The realization that a comrade had almost died made my body tremble.

"...Thanks, you saved me."

"As long as you understand. Hoo... Damn it... When Yu-hyun cast the barrier, you should have run immediately! If you just sit there in shock... what are you planning to do?! Do you want to die?!"

I unknowingly raised my voice at her.

"I... I'm sorry."

Her face flushed slightly as she lowered her head and apologized.

"......"

For now, she was alive, and that was what mattered. I turned my attention back to Seo Yu-ju and the monster.

"You keep interfering, human wench! Kerek!"

As the battle between the regressor and the monster raged on, Ahn Tae-woo managed to successfully stab the monster in the back with his spear.

Thwack—

"Kieeeek! You..."

Smash!

"Guh!"

Still impaled by the spear, the monster kicked backward, sending Ahn Tae-woo flying as he lost grip of his weapon.

Fortunately, I saw Ahn Tae-woo being caught by Ho-won as he was thrown back.

If he had crashed straight into the wall, the impact would have been much worse.

"Are you okay? Take a break for now."

"Ugh... Ugh..."

Even though Uncle Ho-won had caught him, the impact was still significant. It was likely because he had taken the monster’s kick directly to his body.

Seo Yu-ju had wounded the monster multiple times, along with my attack and Song Ha-eun’s strikes, and it was clear that the monster was exhausted.

"Kehk... Kehk... Am I really going to die to these insignificant humans?"

Realizing its disadvantage, the monster’s pupils began to tremble. Seeing its frightened expression, Seo Yu-ju spoke to us.

"Hoo... The monster seems to be in bad condition. It looks like we have nearly won, but we must not let our guard down. Yu-hyun and Yun-seong, do you still have mana left?"

"I... I have no more mana left, that shield I used earlier was the last of it."

"I have just enough to cast one more spell."

Seo Yu-ju nodded in response.

"Then Yu-rim, Ho-won, and I will continue to fight in the front. Ha-eun, support us from the back as you have been. Yun-seong, prepare to cast your magic."

"Understood."

Ahn Tae-woo and Hyun-jin were effectively retired from the battle.

They were in no condition to keep fighting.

Kang Iseo was out of arrows, so she was also out.

Yu-hyun had no mana left.

That meant the five of us had to continue the fight.

However, despite our losses, the monster was heavily wounded and extremely fatigued. It wasn’t the worst situation.

As soon as I confirmed my readiness, Seo Yu-ju charged at the monster.

"You persistent little pest! Kek!"

The monster was furious, swinging its halberd wildly, trying to kill Seo Yu-ju, who kept chipping away at its health.

But she was a regressor. Her extensive combat experience from the first cycle allowed her to avoid getting hit, even if she had to block a few attacks.

As the monster dodged Seo Yu-ju’s spear, the wind spirit summoned by Song Ha-eun sliced into the monster’s arm.

"Kyaaaagh!"

The monster was definitely exhausted. It could no longer dodge attacks as easily as before.

As Uncle Ho-won approached, the monster swung its halberd at him, but he blocked it with his shield.

Boom!

Crack—

The shield had already endured numerous impacts, and now cracks were forming on its surface.

Boom—!

The monster slammed down its halberd, but Ho-won managed to roll to the side just in time. It was impressive how he reacted so quickly, even though his shield had just broken.

Every time I watched Ho-won, I was amazed. Despite having an ordinary job and traits, his combat sense was extraordinary. Aside from Seo Yu-ju, he was probably the most skilled fighter among us.

Taking advantage of the monster’s distraction, Yu-rim stabbed a dagger into its thigh.

"Kyaaaagh—!"

Seo Yu-ju didn’t miss the opportunity and immediately thrust her spear into the monster’s other leg.

"Yun-seong! Now, cast your magic!"

I immediately used all my remaining mana to activate my prepared spell.

"Burn in flames!"

Realizing it was trapped, unable to dodge because of the dagger and spear pinning its legs, the monster screamed in terror.

"Keek! No! This can't be happening—!"

Just before the magic struck, Seo Yu-ju and Yu-rim withdrew to safety.

Fwoooosh—

"Kyaaaaaaagh—!"

The monster was engulfed in flames, shrieking in agony. Unlike before, when it had briefly caught fire, this time, due to its injuries, the fire consumed it completely.

Before long, the burning monster stopped moving and collapsed onto the ground.

Seeing the fallen monster, everyone let out a sigh of relief and slumped down or lay flat on the floor. I did the same.

Thud.

"Hoo... Damn, that was ridiculously hard. How is this supposed to be a tutorial?"

That was the truth. The difficulty was absurd for something called a tutorial. If it weren’t for Seo Yu-ju, some of us would have died trying to clear it.

‘Maybe this dungeon was designed with the assumption that half of the participants wouldn’t make it out alive.’

"...At least no one died, Yu-rim. I seriously thought someone was going to die."

"Shit, at least we cleared it. Phew… More importantly, how’s your condition? Are you okay?"

"Haa... Resting a bit helped. It still hurts, but it’s not fatal."

"That’s a relief, ah! Yu-hyun, thank you. You saved my life, you’re such a good kid!"

Kang Iseo ruffled Yu-hyun’s hair in gratitude. She had almost died, so it made sense that she was grateful.

"No problem, noona! I’m just glad you’re okay. Hehe."

Ahn Tae-woo, who had been resting, spoke up.

"But why hasn’t the clear notification appeared yet?"

Seo Yu-ju, still tired from the fight, answered in a weak voice.

"...We probably need to search this room."

"Hoo... Shit, let’s rest first! I’m exhausted."

I turned to Kang Iseo, smirking as I teased her.

"Pfft... Yeah, let’s do that. I mean, you almost pissed yourself, it wouldn’t be surprising, considering what just happened. Puhaha..."

"...Ha, then why don’t you check if I actually did?"

"......"

"Why are you quiet now? Hm? I said, check for yourself~"

‘Shit...’

"Who was it that came running like crazy, shouting and swearing to save me? Practically looked like they were about to cry, hmmm?"

"...I didn’t cry..."

"You were so desperate you even cursed! What was it again? You crazy bitch! Get a grip! Do you wanna die?!"

"... Ahem, forget what I said. The situation was urgent, so I spoke without thinking."

"Hey, what’s wrong with cursing? I actually liked it."

"What..."

"Curse at me more from now on, okay, Yun-seong?"

"You... insane woman..."

"Oh, you can call me insane too, that’s fine!"

Conversations with Kang Iseo always ended up like this. I should probably stop interacting with this lunatic altogether.

Seo Yu-ju clapped her hands lightly and spoke up.

Clap!

"Enough chatting, let’s search the room. Everyone, start looking."

‘Did she just deliberately interrupt the conversation? Or is it just my imagination?’

Regardless, we all started searching the room as instructed. Seo Yu-ju, as expected, wasn’t planning on searching herself. She probably already knew where to look but was pretending otherwise.

After a while, Yu-hyun called out to us.

"Over here! I think it’s here!"

We all gathered around Yu-hyun as he pushed against the throne.

Creeeak—

As the throne slid to the side, a treasure chest was revealed underneath.

"...I’ll open it."

When Seo Yu-ju opened the chest, inside were a necklace and two rings.

Yu-rim looked at everyone and asked.

"What are these?"

Everyone seemed puzzled. We had expected a sword or a spear, but instead, it was a necklace and rings.

"We don’t know what they are, but let’s take them. They should be useful."

As Seo Yu-ju took the necklace and rings, a notification appeared for everyone.

[ Congratulations. You have cleared the tutorial. All dungeon participants will now be transported to Eras. Those outside the dungeon will be transported in 30 minutes. ]