Chapter 208: The Bottom of the Howling Chasm!

*Roar!*

—

[Warning!]

[You have been spotted by the King of the Howling Chasm: Chasm Gnoll King]

[Your presence is abhorred by the King. An intense rage has swept across the entire chasm.]

[Your team has been affected by the debuff: Feral Pressure]

[Mental Power reduced by 50%, Strength reduced by 50%, and Agility reduced by 25%. Recovery rate has been significantly slowed.]

[Due to the high level of your teammates, the effect has been reduced by 30%.]

[The effect of the debuff has been nullified by your S-rank Passive: King’s Grace.]

[Warning! You and all your teammates have been marked by a mysterious aura: ChasmEcho]

[You can no longer hide using any stealth-type ability or artifact of D-rank or below within the entire dungeon. All monsters within a certain range can now see you.]

[Your passive, King’s Grace, is ineffective against ChasmEcho. You can no longer leave the dungeon.]

[Defeat the Chasm Gnoll King to conquer and leave the dungeon.]

—

As soon as Soren gave a word of warning, everyone felt the dense pressure sweeping over them from the front in an instant.

At the same time, the announcement from the Voice of the World echoed in their minds, confirming that they had reached the bottom of the Howling Chasm.

Looking toward the end of the tunnel, Soren and his team finally saw the huge cavern opening between the two massive ridges.

“W-What? Why are there so many monsters?”

Only… the scene before them made everyone hold their breath as their eyes locked onto the large number of monsters ahead.

At the center stood the Chasm Gnoll King, in a calm posture right below a massive rift that looked like someone had cut space itself with a sword.

Mysterious energy seeped out of it, filling the chasm with a constant howling sound. The air itself twisted under the violent wind rushing down from above.

And surrounding the King were large numbers of monsters.

Except for the Echo Lurkers, Soren could see Rift Hounds, Wing Fang Beasts, and other chasm beasts circling the area. Just a glance was enough to confirm it; their numbers already exceeded thirty.

Their bloodlust materializes in the air, making the environment suffocating. Not to mention the Chasm Gnoll King.

It was a towering, battle-scarred monster standing upon a jagged altar at the center, crowned in bone and fury, its blood-soaked blade resting in its grasp as violet lightning flickered through the massive rift above, while an army of snarling beasts bowed under its tyrannical presence.

—

[Monster: Chasm Gnoll King]

[Level: 50]

[Rank: D]

[HP: 7800/7800]

[Special Traits: > King’s Dominion: Can issue mental commands to multiple monsters at once, forcing coordinated actions and synchronized behavior. > King’s Presence: Increases attack power, physical strength, and fear resistance of all allied monsters within range. Weaker monsters are forced into obedience. > Blood Frenzy: Triggered when injured or cornered. Greatly increases combat ability and causes nearby allied monsters to enter a berserk state, removing fear and self-preservation.]

[Note: A mutated Gnoll King believed to have evolved after prolonged exposure to the mysterious energy seeping from the Rift deep within the chasm.]

—

*Roar!*

Clearly, its red eyes were focused on them, the intruders who had dared to invade its home unannounced.

To be honest, Soren was surprised that he could not dispel the ChasmEcho effect with his passive, King’s Grace.

‘Is this because it is laced with that mysterious energy from the rift?’

Soren guessed, as he could already feel himself being locked onto by a strange aura similar to the one seeping out of that rift.

To be honest, he had no idea what that rift was, nor anything about these mysterious energies.

He only knew that the reason this dungeon was so hard to conquer was because of that rift.

That Gnoll King clearly seemed capable of absorbing that energy, allowing it to command all the monsters around. He could even hear the howls from the tunnel behind them, clearly summoned after the King’s roar.

If they waited any longer, their team would be attacked from both front and back with no escape in sight.

In the game, Evan overcame this difficulty by directly heading to the boss and cleaving it in two before his team could be swallowed up.

Of course, even for him, it wasn’t an easy battle, even if there weren’t this many monsters at that time.

—

[Your teammate Sylvia has used the skill: Sacred Purification.]

[The debuff effect: Feral Pressure has been successfully nullified.

—

“Soren… what should we do? Do we… attack the boss directly as planned?”

After getting purified by Sylvia’s skill, Evan asked.

Looking at the enraged monsters in front, now numbering in the thirties, he felt like the situation had turned for the worse.

Not to mention, they could no longer use the Veil Silence Bead to hide. But if they forced themselves to fight the boss directly while ignoring the others, although they could still kill it without a doubt, there was a chance someone could get hurt.

“Hmm… no, fighting the boss directly is too dangerous. But we can’t waste too much time either.”

Soren was of the same opinion as he rapidly changed the plan before giving his orders.

“Okay, although this was a surprise, it is also an opportunity for all of you. You can use this chance to increase your level.”

Soren keenly noticed that rather than rushing toward them, the monsters in front were still glaring at them murderously, as if waiting for them to exit the tunnel and enter the cavern.

‘It seems the Gnoll King isn’t stupid.’

If that was the case, then not killing those monsters would be even more of a mistake.

“Evan, this time you will take the lead. Try to kill every monster in one strike, or at least make it unable to fight back. Elise and Elara will support you from the sides.”

Soren took advantage of the pause and began giving orders.

“Aria, you summon your Giants and guard the perimeter. Aurelia, you stay at the back and support the team with both attack and defense spells. Try not to use mana-intensive spells too often. Rather…”

Soren finally looked at Sylvia and smiled.

“Sylvia, you use that Mana Bomb of yours with the help of Aurelia and Aria.”

Since the monsters ahead were too strong, their usual skills alone would not be enough. So Soren decided to use everything they had.

Fortunately, this was no longer the narrow tunnel, and Sylvia could use her bombs freely. Although Soren feared it still might not be enough.

“Really? Can I use them?”

Sure enough, the moment Sylvia heard his words, her eyes sparkled all of a sudden, all fear disappearing in an instant.

In its place was raw excitement, completely different from her usual look.

For a moment, Soren felt he might have made a mistake giving her permission.

Cough…

“You can use them, but be extremely careful and try to target those already wounded by Evan and the twin sisters. Don’t just explode them near your teammates.”

That would be a disaster otherwise.

“As for me, if things go out of control… I will step in, don’t worry. I will keep an eye on that boss monster. You guys just rotate your kills and increase your levels.”

If push came to shove, he would just use his new SSS-rank skill, obliterating that boss or whatever it was in an instant.

To be honest, he was actually looking forward to it.