“Ahh! As expected! With support from the front line, it’s so easy, right?”
Nod—
The Lizardman charged mindlessly at the Big Boar, getting nicked by its horn. But with its sturdy body and relentless attacks imbued with paralysis, even the Big Boar soon fell.
And without much loss in health, I managed to take down the Big Boar. My overall stats rose, and now I hardly took any damage from its attacks, keeping my health intact.
“Let’s go! Let’s wipe them out!”
Yeon-hee, finished with the slaughter, shouted enthusiastically, but then cautiously glanced at the battlefield where around 80 Big Boars and Goblins were entangled and started to sneak away.
“Phew— That’s a bit unfair! There are too many!!”
“Hehehe— So cute…”
Watching her somewhat clumsy actions gave me great joy.
In the end, we were able to complete the extermination without any problems, and when I met Yeon-hee again at home, she handed me something and said,
“Leather Armor!! This was tanned for an extra cost, so it’s much lighter.”
Nod—
“Hmm— The size seems about right, the finish is decent, and it’s well waxed.”
The quality was satisfactory, so I tried on the leather armor with a feeling of nervous anticipation.
It didn’t cover my whole body, but it covered quite a bit, excluding my arms and legs. There was no major inconvenience in moving either.
“With just bones, it feels like it’s actually on my body.”
I worried it might slip off since it was loose, but it seemed this armor had some sort of adjustment, similar to holding acidic liquid in my mouth.
=====
Big Boar Leather Armor
– Defense +12
– Durability 80/80
– Armor made with decent leather material, crafted with great effort.
=====
“Well, this performance is decent enough. I don’t have to worry about losing health even when colliding with the Big Boar.”
It only raised by 12, but a durability of 80 means it was crafted by someone close to a master.
Nodding, I moved my body around a bit. It was a bit stiff, but I’d quickly adapt if I practiced for a few days.
“Wow~ Il-wol looks like a model in that armor.”
“Tap—”
As I bent my upper body into a model pose, Yeon-hee burst out laughing, rolling around.
“Hey! Keep it down with the laughing!!”
“Hehe! Shhh— The neighbor is getting angry again.”
But she immediately got scolded by the neighbor.
*Sigh…* My monthly earnings are around 7-8 million won. It’s a good income for a D-rank, but considering I have to pay off debts, moving to a better house is still far off. I have to explore more actively.
Even with this significant income boost, we still couldn’t escape this small studio apartment.
“Lizardman 1, do you want armor too? We have plenty of materials.”
Slurp— Siiiii!
“Ugh— You don’t want it? I guess biologically, that makes sense?”
Yeon-hee licked her lips with disappointment, and I diligently trained while wearing my armor.
The next day.
After successfully finishing the Big Boar dungeon, Yeon-hee leveled up, and we added another Lizardman to our party.
Sitting in the room and staring at the two runes on the floor, I swallowed hard.
After a long dry spell, I had dropped two runes at once after defeating the Big Boar. Moreover, both were the rare Rune of Thorns.
Rune of Thorns (Common)
– Reflect damage +2 when hit
Rune of Thorns (Common)
– Reflect damage +3 when hit
“These might be common runes, but they’re amazing, right? Let’s check…”
‘Quite good. An essential rune for tankers. Even though it’s common grade, it should be useful.’
“The reviews are good too. It says they’ll be a top choice for low-grade hunters alongside the [Rune of Swiftness]. Hmm— Let’s have Il-wol use both runes!”
‘Hmm… That’s a bit…’
I lightly tapped my chin and shook my head, causing Yeon-hee to look shocked.
“Why? This is really good stuff, Il-wol.”
I drew a round shape in the air, and she quickly summoned her iron beetle ‘Ddak-ddak-i.’
“Do you want to give this to it? Hmm… It does have a provocation effect, so that makes sense…”
‘Gotta go by the book. I hardly get attacked, anyway.’
She pouted for a moment, then neatly placed the Rune of Thorns in front of Ddak-ddak-i.
“Ddak-ddak, this is for you. Il-wol doesn’t want it. Hmph!”
‘…A kid?’
I found it funny for a moment, but even the way she puffed up her cheeks was adorable.
Ddak-ddak stood still for a while, then touched the runes with its antennae. In an instant, the two scarlet stones disappeared.
‘This should increase Yeon-hee’s survival rate by a lot.’
“Hehe— It seems like it understands words too.”
Watching Yeon-hee stroke the smooth shell of the iron beetle, I fell into thought.
‘I have to decide where to go next… Hmm. I shouldn’t interfere with that.’
We had gathered everything we could from the Big Boar dungeon. She was determined to move to the Fire Monkey dungeon.
We searched for a party to join her at the Fire Monkey dungeon, taking a full day to rest.
‘Does she not see me as a summoned creature at all…’
With an air of confidence, she showed me screens from the hunter community site on her phone, asking if I thought this party or that party was good.
It was a great opportunity for me, so I carefully selected a party, feeling a bit anxious as I welcomed the next day.
Brought to the Dark Space, I was surprised by a somewhat strange sight. No, it was an ironically familiar place, making me feel uncomfortable.
‘Isn’t this the Dungeon Gate? Well, it’s fine for me to be here…’
Summoned in front of the gate before entering the dungeon, I looked at the four hunters standing before me who were watching me with intrigue.
“Wow! This is so cool! Excuse me, what’s its name?”
“I-It’s Il-wol…”
Yeon-hee cautiously said my name, and the girl who asked if I really had a name laughed heartily.
With short red hair and wearing a full set of Big Boar leather armor similar to mine, her name was Shin Soo-ran.
‘Never heard that name, pass.’
She carried a broad sword suitable for defense on her shoulder, but looking at her sleek figure, I questioned whether she could fulfill her role effectively.
‘Does she even work out… She shouldn’t just rely on stats.’
But depending on her abilities, there could be different uses, so I looked at the next person.
“That interview video about you came out a while ago, so what are its stats? Since you’re not a summoner, you should be able to disclose at least some details about your summoned creature.”
As expected, a burly man with a military-cut hairstyle was curious about what kind of performance I could show, asking Yeon-hee.
Yeon-hee hesitated for a moment while glancing at me, and when I nodded slightly, she whispered a few details about me to the hunters.
=====
[Skeleton Soldier Il-wol – Lv.19]
Strength: 55 Agility: 56 Health: 53
Intelligence: 24 Magic Power: 53 Resistance: 1
Sense: 21 Recovery: 5
Traits: Calm, Protective, Thief, 98 lives, Adhesion
Skills: Slam, Stealth, Dagger Throw, Acid Spray, Basic Transformation, Reckless Charge
Equipment: Kobold’s crude stone hammer, Big Boar Leather Armor
=====
My status was nearing the end of level 19, and I was just before hitting level 20. Yeon-hee only mentioned my strength, agility, and health to the hunters.
“Huh? What? Un-cheol is better than you? Hahaha!!”
The man, Han Man-woo, who asked the question, pointed with the huge circular shield he was holding at another shield bearer and laughed loudly.
The man pointed at turned red in the face and retaliated.
“Stats aren’t everything! And honestly, the Skeleton Soldier’s movements are stiff, so I don’t expect it to be much help.”
“Well, whatever, it’s still a fact that it’s stronger than you. Hahaha!!”
“Hey, seriously…”
And lastly, the girl in the robe introduced herself as Yu Dal-ri, revealing her face when she peeled off the robe.
“Ah, hello…”
“Nice to meet you. See you again.”
She was the magician I encountered last time when tackling the medium-level Goblin settlement, who used binding magic.
Of course, it wasn’t a coincidence. I happened to see a post about her party while searching yesterday and hurriedly applied.
I vaguely remembered a girl who used plant magic among those we fought against the Orc Legion Commander.
At the very least, she was someone who would rise to at least C-rank in a few years.
‘She seems to prefer parties with solid front lines. Last time, she took the lead in a crowd of tankers.’
I couldn’t tell if she wanted to stand out on her own or if she just prioritized her safety, but…
‘This is the best combination for a first party. It couldn’t be better than this.’
“Alright, now that we’ve finished the introductions, let’s talk about the formation. Not that there’s much to discuss, but it’s good to confirm.”
It seemed that the shield bearer Han Man-woo was the leader of this party. Of course, when the battle begins, the magician would take charge, but since Yu Dal-ri was quiet, it seemed there had been some prior discussion.
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