Demon Ape

Do-cheol group of hunters only had half of their strength after the previous battle with the Sabertooths. Some of them even exhausted their Mana already.

And now, the owner of the dungeon, the Demon Ape, was right in front of the hunters.

Come out of the tiger's mouth, into the crocodile's mouth.

The six-meter creature named Az'kal had white fur and white eyes.

Az'kal was also wearing armor similar to those Sabertooths. It looked dazzling in soft black and maroon color shade.

Az'kal stood with a domineering aura with its four hands. The upper arms get crossed, while the lower arms relax at the sides.

Hhss, Hruagh--

"Block the area, Smilodons."

Grrr, Rawr--

Sreek--

The Sabertooths, numbering about 20, appeared and surrounded the hunters.

Do-cheol, who previously was still hoping to survive from this dungeon, immediately lost his will in an instant after witnessing the occasion. And almost all of the hunters thought this was their end too.

Fights with another 20 Sabertooths. Plus, the Dungeon owner, Demon Ape, with the hunters' current state, was impossible. It guaranteed they would not be able to preserve their lives.

With just the Demon Ape's jump blows alone already killed one or two hunters while several others got injured from the impact. Even though all of the B-rank hunters were still alive, they did not fare pretty well either.

Do-cheol and the other hunters who were still holding out looked at this in dismay. They felt a sense of pressure, and fear surfaced in their hearts uncontrollably.

Some of the hunters even doubted whether they really were inside a tier-3 Portal Gate dungeon or not.

As far as the hunters' experience at the tier-3 Portal Gate, they never meet or fight a creature with power above their team leader. It was always equal or slightly better, nothing close to an A-rank hunter.

Now, however, the hunters encountered creatures like a Sabertooth whose individual strength was slightly below B-rank. Where the Demon Ape was comparable to an A-rank.

Was this really a tier-3 Portal Gate?!

Despite the hunters' confusion and fear, only Do-cheol knew the reason.

It was a dungeon with Double owners! An abnormal Portal Gate, which information was scarce for most hunters around the world. No one knew how dangerous this place was, even for Do-cheol himself, who had accessed the Demigod guild repository beforehand.

Do-cheol had predicted that this would be a tricky hunt. But, he did not expect that the enemy's strength was far above them.

'Where are the other Dungeon owners?! Damn it!'

In this precarious situation, Do-cheol still had time to worry about something else. It was because he had one last way to survive this ordeal, even though not all hunters would persevere.

Boom!

Do-cheol was taken aback by the Demon Ape's sudden movements while busy contemplating an escape from the abyss of death.

Az'kal bent his knee joints then jumped very fast enough with his large body as he swung his two right hands towards the C-rank Hunter, who couldn't move due to intense fear.

"I shall bathe in your blood."

Kaboom!

An overkill!

The scene where a C-rank hunter died so easily made the hunters' legs turn to jelly.

Az'kal looked at the left side, then jumped again.

Boom!

"Another one.

"Hhem!?"

Dang!

Sreet--

Before Az'kal could land a dual punch, Do-cheol, in the form of a Sacred Bull, banged the creature with his left shoulder.

Do-cheol managed to knock back the Demon Ape, preventing another deadly attack from coming for his teammates. He also looked around, seeing the response from the Sabertooths. Fortunately, the beasts did nothing and only served as a barrier even though their lord got hit by it.

"Stand up and fight! You'll be dead meat if not doing anything!"

All B-rank hunters raised their heads with their team leader's encouragement. Right now, only a lineup of hunters like them could match the Demon Ape's strength. Even so, they were somewhat skeptical whether or not to be able to do that.

Hhss, Hruagh--

"O, people. What a futile struggle."

Getting knocked back by Do-cheol hardly did any damage to Az'kal. He only got pushed back some distance from his initial landing site. That was all.

Boom!

Az'kal leaped toward Do-cheol, and a dual punch drifted swiftly.

Do-cheol saw the incoming attack, tried to defend with both of his arms.

Kaboom!

Almost the entire battle area shook, and the place where Do-cheol was standing shattered, causing a cloud of dust.

The other B-rank hunters didn't stand still and immediately charged toward the Demon Ape after seeing their team leader gets hit.

"Magic of Electricity, Lighting bolt!"

The B-rank Hunter raised one hand in the air then made a motion like pulling a rope down.

Bzzt, Brzzt--

A thunderbolt descended from the sky, striking the Demon Ape.

Az'kal, who took the attack head-on, became paralyzed, reducing his overall dexterity.

The six B-rank hunters, who came after the thunderbolt, got into a fight with Az'kal. Despite having a disadvantage from the Magic spell. Az'kal's four arms were still capable of handling six hunters in hand-to-hand combat.

The other three B-rank hunters were on standby at the side, waiting for the opportunity to cast their magic spells on the Demon Ape. One of them then approaches Do-cheol.

Do-cheol got up with that hunter's help, but he may have broken a rib or two. It caused him to cough up some blood.

Huuk, Huk--

"Hyung~nim, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Besides, the most important thing right now is to break this circle."

"Like before?"

The B-rank Hunter referred to Ji-woo's actions, which allowed them to break through a siege of over 60 Sabertooths.

Do-cheol nodded. "Similar, but many of us have to occupy that Demon Ape."

The B-rank hunter was aware of what his team leader meant. Basically, the ten B-rank hunters had to fight tooth and nail with the Demon Ape. And also create an opening for other hunters to escape from these Sabertooths.

Making the remaining hunters scatter and survive longer was the only option. Who knew maybe a miracle might really come for those who were desperate enough.

Do-cheol was also worried about the other Dungeon owners. However, this plan was better than letting all Team 3 hunters stay and fight against the Demon Ape. They would surely die, especially if those Sabertooths join the fray.

"Hyung~nim. Miracles can happen sometimes."

Do-cheol smiles, though he didn't believe in such a thing.

Suddenly, Do-cheol and the other hunters' casual chat was interrupted.

Harrgh!

Az'kal's four arms spread out and broke the assaults of those six B-rank hunters. The hunters were blown away and thrown to the ground.

Greg, Bom!

The hunters, who were on the side, were shocked to see that their teammate's assault was unsuccessful. However, they didn't have time to panic. And prepare to attack quickly. They didn't want to let the Demon Ape dictate the course of the battle.

"Magic of Electricity, Lighting bolt!"

On the other hand, Az'kal would never fall for the same trick twice. He rotated 360 degrees to avoid the thunderbolt. Then he leaped, closing the distance with the hunter, who was casting that Magic spell.

Boom!

"Preposterous!"

"Magic of Water, Starsea cage!"

Wroosh--

A stream of water gushed from the ground. The water formed like chains caught and stopped the Demon Ape's movements for a moment.

Harrgh!

Az'kal broke the water chains with ease and hit the ground with his four hands.

Kaboom!

Akh!

Argh!

It shattered the surrounding ground and caused a powerful shockwave. It was enough to blow away those two spellcaster hunters.

That small window, when Az'kal attacked the spellcasters' hunters, apparently gave the previous six B-rank hunters some space to breathe. And that allowed them to attack the Demon Ape again.

Before Az'kal could do any critical hits on the spellcaster hunters, the six B-rank hunters had come and engaged him in an all-out brawl.

Az'kal couldn't persist chasing the spellcaster hunters now. Since these six hunters really pain in the ass on harassing him. He needed to deal with them as soon as possible.

On the Do-cheol side, the B-rank hunter beside him called upon a C-rank healer to heal his team leader.

Do-cheol, who was watching the battle, was displeased with the progress of the fight. The Demon Ape started overpowering the hunters who didn't have their full strength since the beginning.

The Mana decreased drastically, and the hunters' stamina would follow along too. They couldn't last long enough to restrain the Demon Ape so that the other hunters' breakout plan could happen.

"Mnevis, 2nd form!"

Do-cheol's armor shone brightly, then disappeared into thin air. His entire body underwent an extreme transformation. Not only did he get bigger, but his body shape also began to become like the Minotaur in the legends, although not too similar. Unlike the previous one. Where the Sacred Bull's blue light form only covered Do-cheol's upper body.

The healer was startled by the transformation.

Kheuk--

Do-cheol gritted his teeth and grabbed the healer's forearm, who stumbled in trembling.

"Keep healing me!"

Do-cheol's internal organs fell apart due to insufficient Mana. Even if the healer could heal his body, it wouldn't be enough. The healer couldn't recover his vitality and Mana.

The ability overloaded Do-cheol's mind and stamina in his current state. Without his full Mana back, he wouldn't last long in that form.

"Hyung~nim. You can't use this ability now!"

"Shut up!"