Dungeon Predator

Boom!

Caraco landed in front of Kang Oh. The ground shook, and the dust spread like a ripple in water.

Black feathers covered its four giant wings with a blue crystal embedded in its forehead. Its face resembled that of an eagle's.

It had two hands and four feet, with both hands gripping a golden spear. It was as though a horse's body was glued to its waist.

It was more than 3 meters tall.

---

[You have discovered the field raid boss, Lightning Hunter Caraco.]

[You are the first to discover it.]

---

'Caraco... This is the secret that the Agath Crystals held. In any case, if it's a raid boss, it'll be really tough.'

Because raid bosses were so much stronger than normal bosses, they typically required dozens of party members to defeat them.

But their party only consisted of three people.

Just the three of them had encountered a raid boss.

'Let's start recording first.'

This was definitely an emergency. Still, he couldn't pass up a chance to make some money.

"Record."

Footage of a never before seen raid boss! This should make him some money.

"What exactly is happening?" Sephiro asked.

"The raid boss apparently appears if you collect a large quantity of Agath Crystals and have the Agath Leader Crystal as well," Kang Oh replied.

"Ugh. Now everything goes wrong..."

Sephiro's face darkened.

"Now's not the time for idle chit-chat. It's moving!" Eder said.

As he said, Caraco dashed towards Kang Oh's party, its feet causing the earth to rumble.

"You lightning thieves!"

Caraco's voice was filled with indignation.

It was rare, but some monsters could talk to humans. Most of which were bosses.

"Why are we lightning thieves again?" Kang Oh asked.

"Shut up!"

Caraco swung his golden spear, its blade resembling a lightning bolt.

Zoom!

Its spear, which was more than 5 meters long, swept through the area, as if it would break anything in its path.

"Dodge!" Kang Oh yelled and threw his body out of the way.

Eder rolled onto the floor and Sephiro ran backwards.

Boom!

There was a peal of thunder, followed by Caraco's golden spear discharging a powerful red lightningbolt.

Its target? The one who possessed all of the Agath Crystals, Kang Oh!

'Damn it!'

Because he'd just absorbed its Judgment's Lightning, he couldn't absorb the spell.

Kang Oh guarded himself with his sword, took out a lightning potion from his inventory, and downed it in one go.

---

[Your lightning resistance increases for 30 seconds.]

[You are immune to paralysis and electric shock for 30 seconds.]

---

Bam!

Boom!

The lightning struck his sword.

Kang Oh was pushed back, his feet leaving a trail in the ground.

At the same time, the red lightning and its accompanying sparks traveled over the sword and shocked Kang Oh as if they were a wave that had overcome a river bank.

---

[You have taken 213 lightning damage. You are immune to paralysis and electric shock.]

[You have taken 182 lightning damage. You are immune to paralysis and electric shock.]

[You have taken 142 lightning damage...]

---

All of a sudden, he'd lost a huge chunk of his HP.

But because he'd blocked it with his demon sword and had drank a lightning potion, he had minimized the potentially lethal damage.

'Hoo, I survived.'

Kang Oh caught his breath and raised his blade.

Caraco, Eder, and Sephiro were within his field of view.

Eder shot bone shards from his right hand and what seemed to be a curse from his left, as a red 'something' flew towards Caraco!

However, Caraco didn't even concern itself with Eder's attacks and swung its threatening spear at Sephiro.

As befitting of a ranker, Sephiro evaded the spear, aimed for its wing, and continuously shot arrows.

'A raid without a healer or a tank.'

Normally, when a party faced a raid boss, they needed a tank that could block the raid boss's attacks and a healer that could heal the party.

Several of them at that!

However, just the three of them had to face Caraco!

'Should I run away?'

He could run and then summon Eder away to save him from an untimely death.

But what would happen if he couldn't summon him?

'Can't have that. That would mean I lose 4,000 gold.'

He didn't even consider Sephiro, since all that would befall him was a game over.

"Damn you!"

At that moment, Caraco shook off Sephiro and dashed towards Kang Oh.

Considering the fact that Caraco ignored Eder and Sephiro and rushed towards him and him alone, it seemed as though it would prioritize whoever held the Agath Crystals.

'Then I can't run away.'

He didn't have the luxury of choice.

"Sephiro, Eder! Focus your attacks on its wings!" Kang Oh yelled.

Caraco was a raid boss that had the ability to fly.

'It'll probably fly and shoot lightning during the 2nd or 3rd phase.'

It'd be a pain if that happened.

Kang Oh only had three party members total.

Therefore, they had no way of dealing with Caraco's potential aerial bombardment.

If that's the case, then their main priority was to damage its wings so that it couldn't fly.

"Die!"

Caraco stopped right in front of him and thrust with its spear.

He felt a chill.

His Hyper Intuition was warning him.

'Trying to make some distance against a spear is idiotic.'

If one gave a spear-user space, then they would never again be able to close the gap and would just be hunted down.

So, instead of retreating or dodging to the sides, Kang Oh charged forward.

The spear came rushing towards his head.

The chill felt so strong that he felt like he'd soon have goosebumps.

'Now!'

Kang Oh quickly turned his body.

Caraco's spear grazed the side of Kang Oh's face.

Kang Oh seized that opportunity and dashed forward.

"Huuhp!"

Kang Oh swung his sword.

First, Slash!

The target: its wing!

Caraco quickly folded its wing.

Kang Oh's blade passed by where its wing had once been.

He immediately attacked once more.

This time, he aimed for one of its four legs.

"You dare!"

Caraco didn't just let it happen. It swung its spear, putting pressure on Kang Oh.

Clang!

Sword and spear clashed.

The intense pressure caused Kang Oh's hands to throb.

He took a step back.

Meanwhile, Sephiro coated an arrow in paralyzing toxin.

'It worked on Kruger, so it should work on that birdbrain too.'

Kruger was a brutal level 250 monster with a giant mouth.

This paralyzing toxin had worked on Kruger, so even though it was a raid boss, it should work on Caraco too.

He strung the poison-tipped arrow and shot it instantly.

His target was obviously the wing!

It had hit the mark.

But because its wings were so tough, there was only a small chip in its wing.

'A single drop can eventually break through a rock.'

Sephiro quickly notched another poison-tipped arrow and shot it.

It hit the exact same place the previous arrow had landed.

Sephiro continued to shoot arrows, aiming to pierce that one spot.

It was only possible because Kang Oh was so effectively drawing its attention away.

Eder tried throwing a bone spear at it, but it didn't have much effect.

Thus, he changed tactics and used Bone Bind on its wings to annoy it.

The persistent harassment aimed at its wings only infuriated it.

"You insects!"

It raised its spear to the sky. 

All of a sudden, lightning descended from the sky.

Towards Eder and Sephiro!

Caraco's skill only allowed him to strike at those a certain distance away from him, so Kang Oh wasn't affected by the lightning.

"Uahk!"

Eder quickly formed layer upon layer of bone to create a bone wall.

However, the lightning smashed right through it, electrifying Eder's skeleton body.

He immediately left his skeleton body.

Sizzle. 

The skeleton was burnt black.

Eder, who'd returned to his ghost form, sighed in relief. Though he was safe, his skeleton body was completely burnt and thus rendered useless.

Sephiro quickly rolled onto the floor.

He couldn't completely avoid the lightning.

But befitting his ranker status, he had thought ahead and quickly downed a lightning potion beforehand, minimizing the damage.

'As expected of a raid boss!'

Having witnessed it all, Kang Oh gritted his teeth.

"You birdbrain!"

Kang Oh swung his demon sword.

He needed to draw its attention so that it couldn't initiate a follow-up attack on Eder and Sephiro.

"Who are you calling a birdbrain!?"

Caraco violently swung its spear at him.

Its thrust was as fast as lightning!

But no matter how fast its strike may be, Kang Oh still possessed his Hyper Intuition. Thus, he was able to move ahead of time and dodge it.

Clang!

The tip of the spear was stuck in the ground.

At that moment...

'Now's my chance!'

Kang Oh quickly swung his sword.

He cut Caraco's wing and red shards of light burst out!

"Ugh!"

Caraco grimaced in pain.

Kang Oh continued his assault.

Slash!

A white line left a wound on the wing!

At the same time, Darkness Strike activated and a black wave ravaged the wing.

"Eek!"

Caraco's forehead-embedded crystal began to discharge countless sparks.

Soon, it shot a giant lightning bolt at Kang Oh like a laser pointer.

"Haaht!"

Kang Oh swung downwards, cutting the lightning down the middle.

---

[Ubist has absorbed Judgment's Lightning. Satiation has increased by 0.3%.]

---

His blade absorbed the lightning.

He simultaneously activated Tempest Tiger!

A golden tiger-shaped aura was unleashed from his blade.

Clang!

The aura struck Caraco.

Caraco's body trembled.

The fierce whips of wind raged on, continually striking Caraco.

"Kuaahk!"

Caraco screamed in agony.

'Now!'

Hearing Caraco's cries, Sephiro's shot four arrows at it.

Spinning Arrow!

The arrows spiraled around, flying right to their target!

The fiercely rotating arrows pierced through the raging wind and embed themselves into Caraco's wing.

Eder, who was now in his ghost state, focused on casting curses.

He unleashed all sorts of curses from his hands.

A slow, a healing debuff, fatigue, aging, etc.

They didn't do any damage, but they reduced their target's abilities!

Moreover, the curses were even more effective in his ghostly state.

However, Caraco possessed a high curse resistance, so most of them were ineffective.

"Ugh, you're just food to me!"

Caraco raised his spear to the heavens once more.

"More lightning's coming down!" Kang Oh yelled.

As he said, lightning fell from the sky. 

Sephiro immediately used his Absolute Evasion skill.

It was a skill that allowed him to, just once, evade any attack no matter what!

Because of that, he was able to avoid the lightning that came down.

But the problem was Eder!

"Uahk!"

He had no way of avoiding it.

Eder would die at this rate!

He saw the incoming lightning and closed his eyes.

But then...

"Summon Eder!" Kang Oh said.

Then, Eder was instantly summoned right in front of him. He was obviously able to avoid the lightning as well!

"I-I survived!"

Eder opened his eyes and was relieved that he was alright.

Though, following his relief, he was shocked that Caraco was right before his very eyes.

"Uheok!"

"Go to the cave."

Kang Oh rushed back to the cave where they had slaughtered the Agaths.

"Wait for me!"

Eder quickly followed behind him.

"Mr. Sephiro, to the cave!"

"Understood."

Sephiro quickly retreated to the cave.

"Where do you think you're going!?"

The enraged Caraco kicked off the floor with its four feet in pursuit of Kang Oh.

Kang Oh, who had been heading for the cave, suddenly turned around.

"Mr. Kang Oh?" Eder called as if to say, 'What the hell are you doing?'.

"I have to keep it here for a bit. If I don't then Mr. Sephiro won't make it to the cave."

"Then I'll stay too."

Eder prepped his magic.

"Just go to the cave."

"Understood," Eder said immediately, and quickly ran into the cave.

"You!"

Caraco lunged with its spear, a powerful blow backed by his acceleration!

Kang Oh didn't even try to block it.

He kicked off the floor to get his body off to the side.

Kang Oh dodged the spear by a hair's breadth.

Boom!

Caraco's attack formed a giant crater, as though an explosion had taken place. Dust rose from the site as well.

Kang Oh gritted his teeth and stood up. He then rushed towards Caraco and swung his sword.

Caraco too, quickly withdrew its spear and swung it once more. 

They both grazed one another with their weapons.

Kang Oh swung downwards while Caraco thrust forward.

In an instant, they repeatedly exchanged blows.

"Mr. Kang Oh! I've arrived."

Because he'd bought him time, Sephiro was able to safely enter the cave.

While either blocking or dodging Caraco's assault, he said, "Attack from within the cave. He can't use that lightning when you're in there!"

"Understood."

Sephiro began to shoot arrows from within the cave. Eder too, began to cast curses.

Eder and Sephiros' attacks were working.

While assaulted by long-range attacks and curses, lightning didn't fall from the lightning clouds.

Instead, it focused entirely on Kang Oh.

"I'll kill you first!"

Caraco's forehead embedded crystal began to spark.

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Finally found a line break that I'm satisfied with. According to one of my editors, manual line breaks can create a "white area of death" around them and usually look horrible. Thanks for telling me this now. -_- A big shout-out to Jaspaaar for helping me figure out how to do this.