My Tamed Beast Returned with a Dragon Chapter 48 - This Can’t Go On

Baek Chanmin frowned as he recognized Sol’s voice.

“You should’ve gotten here earlier. Slow as always.”

“What are you talking about? I flew here the moment the news broke! How did you get here so fast?”

Sol pierced the head of a charging monster with a spear of fire, her eyes sharp. She ground her teeth at the sight of Baek Chanmin scoffing and turning away.

Beside her, Mirinae activated a field buff and thought to herself—it didn’t make sense. Did the Gold Star Guild have a long-distance teleportation ability user?

But as far as she knew, no such ability had been seen in Korea yet.

“This is no time for that! The second wave is coming!”

Yuha fired arrows of light at the tide of monsters flooding in.

A dungeon break never ends with a single wave. Usually, it progresses through three waves, and then the dungeon has to be cleared entirely.

Sol stopped bickering with Baek Chanmin and turned her focus to the monsters. She may talk big, but she always delivered when it counted.

She spotted a monster with rocky skin dragging its massive body forward.

“Ooh, a Scarning! Looks like it’ll be fun to fight.”

The Scarning grew even larger as it devoured the rubble of destroyed buildings. Hunters tried desperately to stop its advance, but it wasn’t enough.

Then Sol flew in like a bullet and struck its head with a power-infused punch.

Kak! Kyarrk-kyarrk!

The dazed Scarning shook its head. Sol used the opening to pummel it from all directions with her spear and fists.

Chunks of rock flew off the Scarning with each blow.

Its body was as tough as jadeite, but even that was nothing against a relentless S-rank hunter. Just like the saying goes: no merchant can stand against a hawk.

“A thousand-mile journey begins with a single step!”

Sol systematically broke the Scarning down, starting with its weakest points.

Kyaaaagh!

Sensing danger, the monster opened its mouth wide to swallow her whole.

“Not happening!”

Sol jammed her flaming spear into its jaws and held out her palm toward its throat as the monster writhed.

“Bye now.”

A spiral of fire shot out, engulfing the Scarning in an instant.

Kyarrgh! Kyarrk!

The Scarning thrashed violently before collapsing with a thud. Sol smirked at the sight of its charred body.

Pop!

“Yeah! Alright, next one!”

She gulped down a potion and flew off like a streak of light.

“Inchan! It went your way!”

“I saw it! Speed buff, please, Mirinae!”

“Okay!”

Meanwhile, Yuha, Inchan, and Mirinae were fighting a Meriadoc. This monster floated through the air, rippling its fins like waves.

It looked like a massive eel and used the moisture in the air to attack hunters.

Those who underestimated it because of its squishy appearance were hit hard—some got frostbite from its chilling breath, while others suffocated inside the water orbs it spat out.

If frostbite wasn’t treated quickly, the skin would rot. And if no one rescued those trapped in the water orbs, they’d drown.

“Ugh, those water orbs are a pain!”

They needed to attack the main body, but the constant barrage of orbs blocked their vision. Yuha tirelessly fired arrows, freeing those trapped.

Pop pop!

“Gah! What is this breath made of? My face is freezing!”

“Hang in there, Inchan. I’m applying a debuff now!”

As Inchan blocked the Meriadoc’s charge, Mirinae cast a debuff spell.

The moment Meriadoc opened its mouth again to charge, its gaze locked onto Mirinae. As if it knew she was the one who interfered.

Bloop bloop…

Meriadoc gently floated midair, then suddenly vanished.

“Where’d it go?!”

Inchan, who had been tracking its tail, looked around in a panic. Mirinae tensed up and scanned the area in surprise.

Then, Meriadoc reappeared behind them.

Plop plop.

It lunged, spitting something from its mouth. Mirinae, caught in the direct line of fire, couldn’t dodge.

“Mirinae!”

Yuha shot an arrow into Meriadoc’s body just as it spat at her.

“Ugh.”

Mirinae instinctively raised her arm and took the hit. She groaned as an unknown liquid soaked through her combat suit. Her skin began to burn.

This… is acid?

If it could eat through a battle suit with built-in defense, it was far worse than a regular Meriadoc’s spit.

Bloop bloop.

“You bastard!”

Yuha’s arrows peppered Meriadoc as it tried to vanish again. Inchan pummeled it with his shield before it could get away.

Normally calm and gentle, Inchan was still an S-rank hunter—and he cared deeply for his friends. He couldn’t forgive the monster that hurt Mirinae.

“This is the end…!”

Thwack!

Bloop…

Inchan’s final blow hit its mark. Meriadoc staggered and finally fell.

“Choi Mirinae! Are you okay?!”

Yuha rushed over after confirming the monster was down. Mirinae gritted her teeth and tried to act tough.

“Yeah, I’ll heal up.”

“But it still hurts, doesn’t it? Seriously, are you alright?”

“It’s nothing.”

Mirinae used her powers to wrap her wound. The injury healed rapidly.

Soon, her arm looked good as new. But she knew she shouldn’t use it for a while.

She looked down at her still-sore arm and bit her lip.

This can’t go on.

It was something she had been thinking ever since the fight with Belquior. What if stronger enemies showed up? What if something unexpected happened?

She had to be more helpful to her friends.

Mirinae thought of Belquior.

Help…

She immediately shook her head.

No. He said the price of a deal would be steep.

As much as she needed Belquior’s help to grow stronger, she couldn’t ignore the risk.

For now, I have no choice but to grow stronger on my own.

She had to do what she could, for now. Gritting her teeth, Mirinae cast a defensive buff on herself and stood back up.

Thanks to Dochun Guild joining the fight, they managed to push back the second wave more easily. During a short break, Yuha checked her phone.

“The Hunter Administration just sent word. The dungeon layout is a maze.”

“A maze? That’s brutal. And it’s high-rank too.”

Sol grumbled as she brushed dust off her hands. Yuha asked,

“Where’s Yoo Eunsae?”

“Looks like she’s still in transit. She hasn’t replied to any messages.”

“Then she’ll be here soon. Let’s leave the third wave to her and head into the dungeon.”

“What? We’re not waiting for Eunsae? If the dungeon’s a maze, we might not be able to meet her inside.”

Inchan sounded worried. There were already far more monsters than usual. Without Eunsae, they’d be seriously limited.

“It’d help everyone if we go in and clear the dungeon ahead of her.”

Sol nodded toward the many injured hunters lying around.

“I mean, that’s true, but…”

Inchan glanced at them and frowned, hesitating. At that moment, Yuha, putting her phone away, shouted.

“Hey! Looks like the Gold Star Guild Leader’s going in!”

“What? Then we can’t just stand around.”

Seeing Baek Chanmin move ahead, Sol sprang into action. Yuha and Mirinae quickly followed her.

“This isn’t good…”

Inchan muttered, but no one heard him.

 

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

Before entering the S+ rank maze dungeon, Baek Chanmin checked the team roster. There was still the third wave to deal with, but it was more important to enter the dungeon before the Dochun Guild did.

In cases like this, where a dungeon break made a formal auction impossible, the party that began the raid first would claim ownership.

“Guild Leader, do you think this team will be enough?”

Yuk Jaehee quietly asked Baek Chanmin. Since no one knew what could happen in a maze-type dungeon, they needed to be especially well-prepared.

Fortunately, just by glancing at them, the Gold Star Guild’s raid team had a solid balance.

Eight swordsmen, two spear wielders, three adventurers, five marksmen and archers, seven tanks, three healers, and two special skill supporters.

Among them was Cheon Changhyun. Yuk Jaehee glanced sideways at him as he quietly checked his gear and whispered,

“…Can we trust that guy?”

Since joining Gold Star Guild, Cheon Changhyun had rapidly climbed the ranks and gained control of the guild’s inner circle. Many members had rejected him at first—he seemed like someone who’d parachuted in overnight.

But he had earned their recognition one step at a time, confronting opposition head-on. In particular, the research team almost worshipped him like a god.

That was because the advanced potion-making technique he had shared, while still needing refinement for mass production, had proven to be real.

“Leave it. Wasn’t that already settled?”

Baek Chanmin spoke as if it wasn’t a big deal. He’d been keeping an eye on Cheon Changhyun’s movements but didn’t see him as a threat.

To him, Cheon Changhyun reminded him of his own younger self—someone with nothing but overflowing ambition and boldness.

Though there were still a few suspicious points, Cheon Changhyun had kept his word. He said he’d help them beat Dochun.

And just by securing that potion formula, Gold Star was already a step ahead of Dochun.