The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 482

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Yeo Joo Saves the World
Part 3, Episode 86

Hunters and healers from every guild who had rushed to answer the call proved invaluable.
Morale surged, and the Dungeon Collapse Rate stalled, if only for a moment.
As the saying went, there was no defense against numbers.
But the Parasitic Tree was not taking this lying down.
“Something’s wrong with the tree!”
Lee Yu Eul, who had been charging at the front with the Jungle Sword and slashing at the creature’s tendrils, was the first to sense the shift and cried out.
“It’s getting smaller?!”
The Parasitic Tree, which had swollen so grotesquely that it made the dungeon itself feel cramped, was rapidly contracting.
It was like watching a time-lapse film of a tree growing—only in reverse.
Crack, splinter, crunch!
With those awful sounds, the creature—now shrunken to half its size—revealed its true intent.
Slither, slither.
A black wave—no, dozens of thick tendrils surged toward the Gate.
“Ugh!”
At the sight of headless, massive serpents of blackness undulating forward, those with weak constitutions swallowed their nausea.
No matter how much of a hunter one was, they were still human.
As some faltered before that instinctive, visceral revulsion, Kang Han’s voice rang out with clear authority.
“Split the defensive line in two!”
The first line was formed by those whose specialty was area-effect skills—Woo Jun Kyung, Han Ji Sung, Yang Hwa Yeon—and hunters strong enough to protect them.
The S-rank combatants, led by Kang Han himself, took position at the Gate’s entrance.
If worst came to worst, they would shield the Gate with their own bodies.
“Hold! Hold it back, no matter what!”
Yoo Myung Hwa’s voice strained with desperation as she shouted.
The casual smile she was known for had long since vanished.
“Damn it. Even for an SS-rank, this is…”
Yoo Myung Hwa muttered a curse, but no one blamed her for it.
Everyone constructing that second line shared the same thought.
Since awakening to S-rank, none of them had felt a defeat so utterly crushing. Their teeth chattered.
Had there ever been a time when a monster felt truly like a monster?
Crunch, crack, crash!
Endless hacking. Even as they tore away what clung to the Gate, more tendrils surfaced from somewhere else to fill the void.

[ Dungeon Collapse Rate…… 70% ]

All the blood and sweat they had willingly shed in the name of preventing a Dungeon Break seemed utterly meaningless.
‘Is this… right?’
‘Will this just… keep working?’
‘Is this really our best?’
Doubts accumulated in the hunters’ minds, layer upon layer, until they weighed down arms and legs alike.
And with each moment of hesitation, the Dungeon Break gauge only climbed higher.

[ Dungeon Collapse Rate…… 80% ]

Crack!
“Argh!”
An A-rank hunter from the Muwoon Guild, standing beside Han Ji Sung, took a branch—now sharp as a needle—across the shoulder and finally let his weapon fall.
“I… I can’t do this anymore…”
“You can’t give up!”
Han Ji Sung urged him on, but his words fell on deaf ears.
“It’s already over.”
The Muwoon Guild hunter’s eyes were already flooded with despair and helplessness—he didn’t even think to staunch the bleeding wound.
His young, scholarly face—more suited to a university campus than a dungeon—was smeared with sweat and something unnamed.
“Maybe we should evacuate now. If we keep going like this and a real Dungeon Break happens…”
Fear burrowed easily into the gaps left by an exhausted body and mind.
The Muwoon Guild hunter, now gripping Han Ji Sung’s sleeve instead of his weapon, asked a question.
“We could die, right? If we keep going like this, we could really die…”
“Get ahold of yourself!”
Shin Tae Muk, unable to watch his guild member collapse, stepped forward.
Thud!
He seized the panicked young hunter by the collar and hurled him to the ground, then drew a Trauma Treatment Potion from his Subspace and poured it over the torn shoulder.
His hands were rough, but the bleeding stopped quickly and the wound began to heal.
Confirming that color was returning to his guild member’s pallid face, Shin Tae Muk gave a harsh command.
“If you can’t fight, step back. I’ll cover your spot.”
“B-but Guild Master, isn’t this the time we need to think about our own lives too?”
“…”
Shin Tae Muk answered by striking down an advancing tendril of the Parasitic Tree instead.

[ Using skill ‘Steel Silence’. ]
[ This skill cannot be used against higher-tier entities. ]

His most powerful mind-control skill had no effect on the Parasitic Tree.
It was something he’d already confirmed multiple times, but he tried once more just in case—the result was the same.

[ Using skill ‘Shadow Crush’. ]

In the end, Shin Tae Muk chose his A-rank skill instead.
As he formed turbulent shadow masses in both hands and reached to grab and burst the tendrils creeping toward the Gate one by one, a voice cut through.
“Evacuation is worth considering now.”
Kang Han, who had been holding the line alone between the first and second defenses, spoke.
“Guild Master Kang…!”
“Han, we can fight a bit longer!”
Yoo Myung Hwa and Han Ji Sung protested, but their voices had lost their force.
Their strength had been running on empty for some time now.
“Fortunately, the area around the Gate isn’t crowded with civilians.”
Kang Han, whom they’d expected to take the most hard-line stance, continued speaking as he relentlessly struck down more branches.
“If all the hunters here die in a Dungeon Break, managing what comes after will only become harder.”
“That may be true, but…”
Guild Master Yoo Myung Hwa surveyed the battlefield with sorrowful eyes before speaking.
“She’s SS-rank. Dealing with her inside the dungeon is safest.”
The “safety” she spoke of wasn’t about the hunters fighting inside the Gate—it wasn’t about their survival at all.
Guild Master Yoo Myung Hwa of the Dongbaek Guild was now saying that even if they paid with their lives trying to stop the Dungeon Break, they should minimize damage to those outside.
“If this gets out…”
“We’ve already given our all.”
But Kang Han answered firmly.
“It’s better to evacuate even one hunter safely than to keep fighting like this.”

[ Dungeon Collapse Rate…… 83% ]

Seeing the rate climb higher in the meantime, Kang Han’s eyes narrowed.
“Start pulling out the non-combat personnel and anyone who wants to leave, including the healers.”
“The healers…”
Yoo Myung Hwa’s gaze turned toward the Safe Zone, far from the Gate.
Unaware of the conversation happening here, Lee Dan Woo and Moon Na Rin were tending to the wounded while drinking Mana Potions.
Beside them, Yeo Joo was counting the remaining Trauma Treatment Potions, her forehead drenched with sweat and exhaustion written all over her face.
Even from this distance, it was clear there were only a few bottles left.
Two young healers and an irreplaceable S-rank healer with a unique purification ability.
“We can’t afford to delay any longer. The healers’ safety can’t be guaranteed otherwise.”
Kang Han drove his point home, sealing Yoo Myung Hwa’s hesitation.
Crunch!
Yoo Myung Hwa tore away the tendril that had been most relentlessly boring into the Gate with her bare hands and spoke.
“…All right. Let’s do it.”
At her decision, Shin Tae Muk and the other hunters nodded in agreement.
“Wait, why all of a sudden?”
“Evacuate?!”
Moon Na Rin and Lee Dan Woo, whose arms were grabbed first, widened their eyes in confusion.
“Master, are we really leaving?”
“Come with us!”
But Yeo Joo shook her head.
The condition of the injured person Baek Ho had brought back just moments ago was critical.

[ Status Abnormality – Exhaustion, Excessive Hemorrhage, Darkness Poison 88% ]

With Darkness Poison at such a high level, moving to a safe place and treating it afterward was possible, but the bleeding needed immediate attention.
“I’ll just get this person mobile enough and follow right after. Go on ahead, quickly.”
“…We’ll wait outside.”
Moon Na Rin bit her lip hard and dragged Lee Dan Woo along.
The evacuation from the Gate began quickly, starting with the younger healers and volunteers.
By the time roughly half the raid party had safely exited the dungeon, Lee Yu Eul—who had stayed beside Yeo Joo in case of emergency—signaled that it was their turn.
“Sister, let’s go.”
“Yeah, help me with this person.”
“Ugh, they’re heavy.”
Lee Yu Eul, hoisting the still-unconscious injured person over one shoulder, was clearing a path toward the Gate when—

[ ! WARNING ! ]
[ ! WARNING ! ]
[ ! WARNING ! ]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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