When Indra looks at the monsters that surround them, he is really surprised. After all, these monsters look just like the ones in the original story.
"Ice Elves and Ice Bears."
However, unlike in the story, the Ice Elves and Ice Bears seem to be living in harmony. The Ice Elves are actually riding the Ice Bears. So it seems like they are in a mutually beneficial relationship or the Ice Elves managed to tame the Ice Bears.
'Ice Elves and Ice Bears. What a coincidence. The monster composition looks like the ones in the Red Gate that Jin Woo conquered in the series.'
"A-are we going to fight them now?" One of the S-Rank asks nervously.
Even the S-Ranks are nervous because the Ice Elves and Ice Bears look very ferocious. Not to mention the A-Rank Mages and Archers who come along to help becayse the S-Ranks are all melee fighters.
Indra knows these monsters have become much more vicious than normal because the Rulers have increased their ferocity and power using magic to increase the effects on Earth's magical development.
The monsters in Red Gates are even more ferocious and stronger than their kin in normal dungeons. That's why the S-Ranks are nervous because some of them have fought Ice Elves and Ice Bears, but these ones here look different.
"Hey, is it just me or do these Ice Elves and Ice Bears seem abnormal?"
"No, I don't think you are mistaken. These monsters look crazed. It's like they are on drugs."
The Ice Elves are smiling sinisterly, typical of the psychopath Ice Elves. But they usually look tidy and have pretty appearances despite their psycho nature.
On the other hand, these Ice Elves look messy. They have bloodstains all over their tattered clothes, their bodies are full of scars, and their eyes are glowing bright red.
The Ice Bears also have glowing bright right eyes and scars all over their bodies. Their saliva drops from their mouth as they growl angrily. These monsters are looking at the Hunters like looking at some pieces of tender meat after starving for days.
"Don't worry about them for now. They can't break my barrier, so we are safe. Let's fill our stomachs to get the energy we need to fight them." Indra takes out some good food for everyone.
It is awkward to eat while the monsters are trying to break into the barrier. But the hunters are hungry, so they try to ignore the monsters and eat. The food that Indra gives them is meat and bread, heavy for breakfast, but they need energy to fight.
While the A-Ranks try to not look at the monsters so they can eat calmly, Indra and Ragnar are walking around while eating. They are walking close to the barrier to look closely at the monsters.
Both of them are observing the monsters and discussing the strategy to fight the monsters. It makes the A-Ranks even more nervous because Indra and Ragnar anger the monsters even more with their acts.
But no one, even the S-Ranks says anything because both of them are National Levels. Ragnar and Indra are basically their tickets to get out of this place alive, so they know they need to shut their mouths.
"Hey Indra, do you think these monsters' power have been enhanced by them? I mean by those powerful beings."
"Most likely. They've been strengthened so much that they don't retain their original selves. They look the same, but they are basically just wild beasts that move based on instinct. Ice Elves are known to be intelligent, but these guys don't seem so."
Indra suddenly senses a very powerful presence approaching. The monsters make a way and then an Ice Elf that still looks dignified comes riding an Ice Bear that's bigger than the other Ice Bears.
"That must be their boss."
"He still seems to retain some of his intelligence. Probably because he was already strong before being enhanced."
As they thought, the boss still has some of his intelligence. He seems to say something while looking at Ragnar and Indra. But the barrier is soundproof, so they can't hear anything the boss says.
Obviously, the boss doesn't know that and becomes angry for being ignored. He commands his men to break the barrier, but of course, it doesn't even scratch.
"Seems like although he still has some of his intelligence, it's not much. They've tried to break in for hours but failed. So the fact that he still orders them to break the barrier means he has become stupid too although he doesn't completely lose his mind."
Indra suddenly sees a pair of white bluish daggers on the boss's waist. Then a memory that has long been forgotten comes to his mind. He recognizes the daggers as the weapons of the Ice Elves boss that Jin Woo defeated in the series but failed to turn into a shadow soldier.
'Wait! If that's true then these monsters are the monsters in that same Red Gate dungeon. The Ice Elves and Ice Bears are those monsters, but they've been strengthened by the Rulers, causing the increase in power and decrease in intelligence. But if it's really true, then that big Ice Bear should be Tank.'
Now Indra is more concerned about what Jin Woo will think when he finds out about these guys. After all, Jin Woo always looks for his former subordinates that return back to life after the time regression.
'I guess I need to help him a little then.'
Indra has always planned to take the monsters' dead bodies out of this Red Gate dungeon. It was just for some money and materials at first, but now he has another reason.
*****
The Hunters finally finish their food after a while and they even have time to do some light exercise to help them digest their food. Now they are ready to fight.
They wear their gears that already have runes engraved on them. Indra put some Rune Magic enchantments on their gears last night to increase their battle power.
He activates their Rune Magic enchantments and gives them some buffs that double their basic stats. Now the A-Ranks are as strong as S-Ranks, while the S-Ranks are almost as strong as the National Level Hunters in the normal stage, thanks to Indra's high level buffs.
Everyone is ready, so Indra removes the barrier. The Ice Elves are surprised, but then they grin sinisterly while licking their lips as they look at the Hunters. It's as if they are looking at some delicious snacks.
"I am Baruka. Humans, kill, humans, kill, eat..... Delicious."
As Indra thought, this boss's intelligence has become very low after being strengthened by the Rulers. It's like they trade the monsters' intelligence for strength.
But the boss's name jolts Indra's memory. Now he's sure that this Ice Elf boss is the same one that Jin Woo defeated in the series. But he has been changed by the Rulers.
That means the other ice elves and ice bears are also the same ones as the ones in that Red Gate. So the biggest Ice Bear must really be Tank, one of Jin Woo's most trusted shadow soldiers.
'Well, to be shadow soldiers, they need to die first. So there won't be a problem for me to kill them. I just need to show the corpses to Jin Woo later.'
The A-Ranks are still nervous even after being buffed by Indra. Now that the barrier has been removed, they can sense the monsters' power better. The monsters are really stronger than they thought.
They finally feel the monsters' power when the battle finally starts. The Ice Elves and Ice Bears start attacking the Hunters together. Their number overwhelms the Hunters and the snow terrain reduces the Hunters' mobility.
Indra has predicted this, so he quickly creates a massive barrier dome that covers all the hunters and monsters inside. He even makes the floor using the barrier so the Hunters will be able to move well on the hard floor.
The snowstorm also gets blocked, so they won't get disturbed by the cold, strong wind, and flying snow. Indra has made a better field for the Hunters to fight which helps them a lot even though they are still overwhelmed by the monsters' numbers.
The S-Rank Tanks and melee fighters are doing their best to hold the monsters while the A-Rank Mages and Archers are shooting their attacks continuously from the back.
They are struggling even though the S-Ranks have become much stronger, showing that the monsters are very strong. The only one who can fight well now is Ragnar who is used to fighting stronger opponents in S-Rank Gates.
He kills Ice Elves and Ice Bears quickly, which piques the boss's interest. The boss roars, making the mobs that rush at Ragnar stop. Then the boss charges toward Ragnar to fight him. The boss battle starts very quickly.
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