I moved slowly to the left with Yeon-hee.
And as we began to make our way to the well, a guy who was one and a half times bigger than a regular Ent took form on the ground, and the waiting Hunters rushed at him all at once.
– Let’s go!! Today, I’m getting the kill!!
– Rune!! We just need to get the Rune Steel!!
– Moderately pulling experience points from a distance, don’t get greedy, you guys.
The sight of the Hunters charging at the giant monster, each with their own thoughts, was almost heroic.
Boooom—!!
Seeing the Hunters charge like a pack of dogs, the Ent Champion swung its body to signal, and dozens of additional Ents began to manifest around.
But we didn’t join the battle; we had already descended into the unkempt, brambled well.
[Absorption]
(Il-wol… Is there something in here? It’s so dark…)
Yeon-hee, who was on my back, whispered worriedly in my ear, but there was nothing particularly worrying about it.
For starters, there wasn’t even a slime, which was always present in damp places deep below a well, and my strength stats had risen; carrying her up and down was not a challenge at all.
Tap—
(Wow… Has anyone ever come down here?)
‘Quite a few, I bet. There are always spirits around. But they probably went to the bottom, poked around the walls and dug a bit, found nothing, and then came back up. There’s actually a hidden space a bit higher up, you know.’
Still holding Yeon-hee, I pressed against various spots on the wall, about 20 meters up the well.
‘I think the height was about this much…’
I vividly remembered the first time I found two artifacts in a dungeon while I was fully engrossed in finding artifacts during the early stages of my awakening.
Of course, after that, I found so few artifacts in dungeons of even higher tiers, that finding such a specific item like today would be rare in the future. So I should enjoy days like today.
‘I can definitely feel there’s a space in here, but damn, has its position shifted a bit?’
But it wasn’t long before my probing hand slipped inside.
Drurururu—
Kyaah—
Suddenly, the well wall began to cave in, just big enough for a person to enter, startling Yeon-hee, who jolted on my back.
“Hoooon… Il-wol…”
Cute.
After I assured her by patting her head, I immediately started moving inside.
I passed through a passage that required me to duck down, soon stepping into a small room the size of a convenience store.
“Wowaa—!! It’s incredibly beautiful!!”
How many people in this world would know there’s such a space beneath the decayed Ent forest? I took a leisurely circle, soaking in the atmosphere of this library.
It felt like stepping into a renowned scholar’s library, radiating a serene vibe with numerous books crowded in the shelves.
“Ohh! Il-wol, there are so many fancy-looking books here!! Can I take one out?”
‘It’s probably better not to.’
I nodded, and Yeon-hee immediately picked up a sparkling golden book. But the moment she opened it, it disintegrated into dust and scattered into the air.
‘Well, that’s the same.’
“What… Did I just lose one?! What should I do?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap!!”
I shrugged, signaling that it was alright, and grabbed a dagger hanging from the wall that was about 20 cm long.
Even with hands only made of bones, the grip that fit perfectly brought back memories of being human.
‘This is oddly nostalgic.’
I pulled the dagger from an elegantly designed scabbard etched with geometric patterns. A very simple double-edged dagger that contrasted with the ornate scabbard.
=====
The Guardian Dagger of the Sage Arhen
– A dagger cherished by the sage Arhen of the ancient Isilia Kingdom
– Attack Power +24
– Defense Power +10
=====
‘To display such a weapon as a mere decoration in a library… It’s nonsense, really.’
While the attack power isn’t particularly high for an artifact at just 24, the boost in defense power from a weapon elevates its value significantly.
The magical aura radiating from the dagger made it clear that it was genuinely interested in protecting me.
Moreover, being an artifact, it has no durability limit, so I won’t have to worry about weapons for a while.
‘I can occasionally use the stone for throwing…’
As I skillfully twirled the dagger in my hand, feeling quite satisfied, Yeon-hee spoke up.
“Wow—! The scabbard is so pretty!! This must be an artifact too!! How much do you think it would sell for?”
Having never seen a weapon-type artifact before, Yeon-hee was excited, turning the scabbard this way and that.
From what I learned through the White Knight Guild, this dagger is worth a bit over 10 billion. While it performs slightly above mid-tier among artifacts, it can still fetch that kind of money.
‘I could just sell that and live comfortably…’
Being afflicted with the adventurer’s disease is what I call my past self. If I had sold just the artifacts I found, I could’ve lived lavishly with hundreds of billions in assets, but I got too caught up in the thrill of finding new artifacts and exciting adventures, so here I am, being a fool instead.
I shook my head and focused my senses to check if there was anything else hidden in this space.
But everything I touched would burst into dust, and the only exit was the one we came in through.
‘This guy was quite secretive. To create his secret library in a well like this.’
I handed the sword for Yeon-hee to look at, then, with her back on my shoulders again, I used [Absorption] to climb back up the well.
“It’s really beautiful…”
Since he was called a sage, he probably entrusted the dagger’s creation to an incredible artisan.
So it makes sense that Yeon-hee was captivated by the item, unlike her usual self.
Thanks to the dagger, my defense had risen to 22, so with this level of weaponry, I probably wouldn’t get even a scratch from typical attacks in this dungeon.
After climbing out of the well, I felt more confident than before, and a faint smile crossed my face as I observed the situation outside.
‘Still going strong, huh? I thought we could wrap this up quickly, but why is it taking so long?’
Although it was slightly suspicious, it was time to get moving. As soon as I got up, we quickly joined the battlefield. Yeon-hee threw the dagger to me, and began chanting her spell.
At this point, there was no hesitation about whether to fight or not.
Since Yeon-hee’s concentration sometimes falters when running, she summoned her summoned creatures one after another, and the Hunters, seeing me and the two Lizardmen running toward them, waved their hands eagerly.
And only upon arriving at the battlefield did I realize why the hunt was taking so long; there were significantly more regular Ents surrounding the Ent Champion than usual.
Typically, it wouldn’t take more than 20 minutes from the Champion’s appearance to its defeat, but now about 15 minutes in, there were still 10 Ents left.
“Over there!! Just keep those little ones in check!! The Champion is almost down!!”
Yeon-hee nodded vigorously without replying, and the Hunters raised their hands in thanks. It’s good to have her here; sometimes, someone overly greedy might just take the Champion for themselves, but there wasn’t even a hint of that from her.
“Take one each!! They’re weak enough; it’ll be enough!!”
Responding to Yeon-hee’s command, the now fully summoned 5 Lizardmen launched themselves at the Ents, and I had already used [Reckless Charge] to slam into one and knock it over.
Swoosh—
I drew the newly acquired dagger and stabbed it into the downed Ent’s torso.
Crunch—!!
Boooom!!
The Ent writhed in profound agony, and I stabbed the same spot a few more times, pushing in deeper. Soon, the Ent’s movements ceased, and it began to wither rapidly.
– Defeated the Ent…
‘Ah… After all, hunting truly relies on gear.’
Feeling even more confident, I charged again into the Ents aggroed by the Iron Bug, toppling them over once again and repeating the process with my dagger.
There was no need to expend fireballs, so my mana consumption was minimal, and in less than 3 minutes, I took out all the regular Ents.
As we finished off the regular Ents, the Ent Champion began to waver, and I only helped by swatting at the occasional flying branches.
Yeon-hee also shot arrows, but that too was just to keep its movements in check.
Booorrr—
Boom—!!
Finally, the massive tree fell, signaling the end of the raid, and we received a small experience point reward.
– You assisted in defeating the Ent Champion!
– You acquired a small amount of experience.
‘Honestly, I’m satisfied with swinging my hands a few times for this much.’
We collected the thorns from the fallen Ents and left without even thanking the other Hunters, making our way out promptly.
The Hunters, diligently gathering their spoils, would probably wonder about our late arrival long after we had left, but soon enough, their curiosity would wane.
If anyone was observing us closely during the battle, they might have noticed that my attacks were unusually effective against the Ents, but people generally don’t focus on others. Especially if they’re Skeleton Soldiers.
Once back on the road, it felt like we had completed everything we needed to do today, so we decided to head towards the exit without pushing ourselves too hard.
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