Affinity is crucial when dealing with monsters. If one can match affinities well, even facing an opponent half a tier higher isn’t particularly difficult.

Because of that, superhumans with fire-attribute abilities or skills played a prominent role in this A-rank gate raid. The natural counter to ice (氷) attributes was fire (火).

That was why, even though he was holding back, Sungshik’s performance inevitably stood out to some extent.

Whoosh—

Bright red flames surged along Sungshik’s sword. It was as if he were wielding a legendary fire blade from myth. And as its appearance suggested, it displayed remarkable effectiveness against the ice-attribute monsters within the dungeon.

That held true even for the ice trolls that began appearing midway through.

“Kreeeek—!”

Ice trolls were notoriously tricky monsters to deal with due to their unique regenerative abilities. Without overwhelming firepower, they were extremely difficult to handle. However, the wounds inflicted by Sungshik’s attacks did not heal easily. The flames from his sword lingered, refusing to be extinguished.

‘This is working even better than I expected.’

As he watched the flames enveloping his sword, Sungshik silently marveled. The source of the flames was none other than the effect of his Phoenix Heart trait. It transformed the nature of his sword aura into purifying fire.

“Wow, mercenary number 34—Sir Big Sir, was it? Is that a skill? That’s incredible!”

“Seriously. Thanks to you, these guys are way easier to handle.”

Members of the Baekdu Clan and the superhumans participating as mercenaries voiced their admiration as they watched Sungshik fight the ice trolls.

‘So unfair. Life really is just a trait-luck gacha game.’

‘If I had a trait like that, I’d have reached five stars ages ago.’

Some among them even felt jealous. That was how effortlessly Sungshik was handling the ice troll horde.

The subsequent progress was smooth. With Seo Haneul at the forefront, and the combined strength of Sungshik and the other five-star superhumans, they steadily pushed forward through the dungeon. Eventually, they became so relaxed that they nearly forgot they were raiding an A-rank gate.

“Wow, this is way easier than I expected.”

“I thought A-rank gates were supposed to be something special, but aside from the monsters being slightly stronger than those in a B+ gate, there’s not much difference.”

The four-star+ superhumans especially found it easy. Since they were only providing backup rather than fighting on the frontlines, it felt even simpler.

Normally, raids were tackled in groups of five, or at most, ten. In that sense, having over twenty five-star superhumans was more than enough.

When an A-rank gate first emerged in Busan, the six-star superhuman Kang Hanil had barely intervened, merely observing. It was the same principle—people were intimidated by the A-rank classification, but a well-assembled team of five-star superhumans was enough to clear it.

And so, the team gradually fell into complacency.

“Alright, it looks like the boss room is just ahead. From here on, stay sharp and follow the briefing exactly as we discussed.”

“Yeah, yeah, we got it.”

“We’ll be counting on you again, Clan Leader Seo Haneul~”

Even at the boss room’s entrance, the atmosphere remained lax. Even if a six-star boss monster appeared, they believed that over twenty five-star superhumans, led by Seo Haneul, would be more than enough to handle it.

Seo Haneul considered saying something but decided against it.

‘Hah… Forget it. They’d just think I was nagging.’

To be fair, even Seo Haneul himself thought their current lineup was sufficient to take down a six-star boss. He hadn’t expected the A-rank gate raid to go this smoothly.

‘It’s all thanks to that guy.’

He glanced over at the mercenary who went by the name "Big Sir."

‘Is he really just a five-star?’

Seo Haneul, the only one here at the five-star+ level, was beginning to sense it. Throughout the battles so far, Heo Sungshik had contributed far more than it seemed.

There were critical moments in battle—pivotal turning points that determined the outcome. Even in an overwhelmingly favorable situation, a single misstep could instantly reverse the tide.

Particularly in this A-rank gate raid, there had been many such moments. Despite how smoothly things had gone, every monster they faced had been at the five-star or five-star+ level. Even with twenty five-star superhumans, completing the raid this effortlessly should have been nearly impossible.

‘But if I look back at each fight, that guy was always the one making sure the battle stayed on track.’

Thinking back, there had been several close calls. Situations where they could have struggled or even suffered serious losses. Yet, every single time, it was Sungshik who had intervened at just the right moment to keep the battle under control.

Though Sungshik himself believed he was merely pulling his weight, Seo Haneul saw things differently. While others might not have noticed, someone with Seo Haneul’s honed battle instincts could tell.

‘It’s not just that he has a good trait. He has an innate sense for battle.’

Seo Haneul was convinced. While Sungshik hadn’t put on flashy performances like himself, his contributions had been equal to, if not greater than, his own. That was why Seo Haneul wasn’t too worried about the upcoming six-star boss fight.

‘Honestly, just me and him would probably be enough to take it down. Well, maybe we’d need three or four more five-stars, just to be safe.’

With that thought, he found the relaxed mood more understandable. If even he was underestimating the fight ahead, it was no surprise that the others were as well.

“Alright, let’s head in.”

Thus began the final battle of the A-rank gate raid.

Just how strong was a six-star monster?

In truth, starting from the six-star tier, the gap in power between it and the previous tiers became significantly larger. However, that didn’t mean a lone six-star monster could take on a dozen five-star superhumans at once.

For that, it would need to be at least six-star+.

‘The Elite Black Knight that Han Eunyeong summoned back then—that one might have been capable.’

The Elite Black Knight, a six-star+ entity that had instantly overpowered Han Cheolsik. Back then, it had received buffs from Han Eunyeong, temporarily giving it the strength of a seven-star. But even without those buffs, the Elite Black Knight was among the strongest of the six-star+ monsters.

‘In other words, a six-star boss monster alone shouldn’t be able to handle this group.’

No matter how much the boss monster receives buffs from the Ice Field, it would still be difficult to withstand the numbers of this raid team.

But before my regression, I remember there were quite a few casualties.

Even so, before his regression, Sungshik recalled that the boss raid had suffered significant losses. That was why he remembered the strategy for this raid.

The reason for the heavy losses was none other than—

Wasn’t the boss ‘Mammutous’?

That’s right. The dungeon boss of this A-rank gate was ‘Mammutous Primigenius’—a six-star boss monster in the form of a mammoth.

This Mammutous was among the highest-tier monsters within the six-star category. Especially within this Ice Field, its combat power was comparable to that of a six-star+ monster.

I heard they had an incredibly tough time.

That made sense. ‘Mammutous’ had such absurd defense and health that it could be mistaken for a tank-type monster. Yet, it also possessed attack power stronger than most six-star monsters. Even its sheer physical capabilities exceeded that of a regular six-star.

On top of that, receiving buffs from the Ice Field, it even had area-of-effect skills. This meant that simply relying on numbers was not a viable strategy.

Even so, it’s hard to imagine someone like Seo Haneul and the Baekdu Clan being completely wiped out.

The Seo Haneul that Sungshik had observed was no joke—his reputation as one of the top-ranked fighters in the country was well-earned. His combat sense was so sharp that it was difficult to believe he was merely a five-star+ ranker.

Just going by pure instinct, he could easily be considered six-star.

There was a reason for that assessment. Every time Sungshik fought, he paid close attention to key moments in combat. And every single one of those moments, Seo Haneul reacted perfectly, as if he naturally sensed them.

For someone this talented to have fallen without making his mark…

Seo Haneul’s potential was something Sungshik had only realized after meeting him in person. Before his regression, Seo Haneul had suffered severe injuries during this raid and, along with the Baekdu Clan, had begun a slow decline.

But this time, things will be different. Because I’m here.

Sungshik’s eyes gleamed with quiet resolve.

Thud.

As everyone entered the boss room, a massive silhouette came into view. Covered in deep blue fur, its overwhelming presence left the superhumans speechless.

Gulp.

“I-Is that the boss?”

“I think so? Damn, it’s huge.”

“It looks... just like a mammoth.”

“Yeah. Whoa, that pressure is unreal…”

Everyone was shrinking under the boss’s massive silhouette. Even Seo Haneul was no exception.

This feels ominous. This thing is no ordinary opponent.

Seo Haneul realized it immediately—this boss was on a different level.

While everyone stood frozen in place, the boss opened its eyes.

Flash.

The moment its eyes snapped open, a blinding glow shot out. Just meeting its gaze sent shivers down their spines, making their hairs stand on end.

“U-uh… are we sure we can actually take this thing down?”

Someone mumbled nervously, but when no one responded, Seo Haneul quickly stepped in.

“Of course. Look, big monsters like that are usually all bark and no bite. You all know what you’re doing, so don’t get cold feet now. It’s just a six-star monster at best. Stick to the briefing and form up.”

Seo Haneul spoke in an even tone to prevent the raid team’s morale from dropping. When fighting a boss like this, morale was just as important as strategy. If they started doubting themselves now, they had already lost.

As the others prepared for the fight with anxious faces, only Sungshik remained unfazed, calmly observing the boss.

Insight.

[Boss: Mammutous Primigenius
Rank: Six-star (★★★★★★)
Combat Power: A++ (Ice Field Buff)
― A boss-tier monster native to the Ice Field. Known for its extreme aggression.]

Combat power… A++?

Seeing Mammutous’s stats through Analyze, Sungshik clicked his tongue. Normally, a six-star monster’s combat power was rated at A. A six-star+ monster might reach A+.

Elite Black Knights had A++ combat power.

Considering that an Elite Black Knight without Han Eunyeong’s buffs was rated at A++, this was an insane level of strength.

No wonder the previous raid team got wiped out.

His suspicions had been confirmed. The reason the raid team failed before his regression wasn’t anything complicated—the boss had simply been far stronger than anticipated. At this level, Mammutous could practically be classified as six-star+.

Looks like I have no choice but to reveal my strength.

Sungshik gave a bitter smile. He was probably the only one here who could properly face Mammutous. He had hoped to keep a low profile until he reached seven-star, but that was no longer an option.

Oh well, after this raid, I’ll be able to challenge seven-star anyway.

There was no problem, then.

Just as Sungshik made up his mind, the boss seemed to have finished preparing as well.

Fwooooom—!

Mammutous let out an earth-shaking roar. After taking a moment to scan the intruders in its domain, it unleashed a furious bellow and shifted into battle mode.

“Ugh, that’s terrifying.”

There was a faint trace of fear woven into Mammutous’s roar, making the superhumans instinctively tense up.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

With heavy footsteps, Mammutous charged forward. The sight of the towering, 20-meter-tall beast barreling toward them felt like an entire mountain collapsing.

“Incoming! Spread out!”

The superhumans scattered to avoid Mammutous’s charge. Trying to tank a monster of this size, regardless of rank, was no easy feat. Let alone for those of lower rank.

“Switching to Plan B. Maintain aggro and keep up sustained damage.”

Thus, the team adopted a hit-and-run strategy—managing aggro while continuously attacking from a distance.

“Damn it, our attacks aren’t doing anything!”

“The cold surrounding its body makes it hard to get close!”

Indeed, ranged attacks barely made a dent in Mammutous’s thick hide, and the freezing aura around it made close combat nearly impossible.

And then—it happened.

Annoyed by the pesky superhumans flitting around it, Mammutous suddenly extended its long trunk forward. From both nostrils, an immense concentration of mana began gathering.

“Danger! Everyone, scatter!!”

Seo Haneul urgently shouted after sensing something was off, but he was a fraction too late.

Fwoooom—! Shhhhhh—!

Along with Mammutous’s deafening roar, a massive storm of freezing energy swept across the battlefield.