Gray Mold is a monster that closely resembles the mold types found in our world, just as its name suggests.
Due to its flammability, fire spreads easily, and the density of the smoke it produces intensifies when it comes into contact with flames, causing a slowing effect. Therefore, it’s generally advisable not to use fire when trying to deal with them.
However, since Ham Eun-young was present and I hadn’t had the experience of properly defeating an enemy with magic, I decided to use Fireball.
I threw the Fireball into the space that was clouded like fog in the air. Soon after, there was a series of dull thuds, like a sponge being hit by fireworks, and the creatures quickly expelled thick gray smoke.
While inhaling that smoke, movement speed rapidly decreases, and after a while, one can become completely immobilized. They cling to the bodies of those frozen in place, siphoning off their life force.
‘Hmm… is one not enough?’
The fire spread quite a bit due to the Fireball, but it seems like I only inflicted minimal damage with just one explosion. If that’s the case…
[Fireball] [Fireball] [Fireball]…
I conjured fireballs one after another and hurled them recklessly at the gray clusters. Though it was spread out, since it was my first time feeling the magic’s effects, I could feel a tingling current coursing through my body.
“Ha ha ha!! Yes, this is it!! Burn everything to the ground!”
Boom, boom, boom―!!
The explosions were indeed beautiful. Maybe I should have jumped straight into the destructive bombarding sorcerer technique.
Magic Power: 137/161
Since Fireball is a basic spell, it consumes little magic power, and I, excited for the first time in ages, unleashed a barrage of fireballs everywhere like a madman.
“…… Oh my, what is that?”
Someone from behind exclaimed in shock, but as a being born from darkness, it’s possible that looking a bit insane could be effective.
I detonated dozens of Fireballs, and simultaneously, a long defeat message appeared.
– You have defeated a Gray Mold!
– You have defeated a Gray Mold…
– You have defeated a Gray Mold…
It seemed like dozens of them died at once, as the defeat messages inundated the screen.
– This entity does not possess a skill. The probability of stealing the trait [Thief] increases by 5%.
– The trait [Thief] has activated.
– Stealing a trait from Gray Mold at random…
– You have acquired the trait [Gray Fungus Poison]!
Gray Fungus Poison Lv.1
– When receiving over 20% health reduction damage at once, it emits gray smoke that decreases movement speed by 30%.
When defeating a monster that doesn’t have skills, the probability of theft increases by 5%, making it an 18% chance to steal the monster’s trait. Given the number of creatures defeated, it seemed almost certain that I would succeed in stealing.
‘Great. That’s two gained today.’
The unfamiliar trait, Gray Fungus Poison. Perhaps due to its low level, the conditions for activation of its abilities weren’t very easy, but I felt a sense of pride as I slowly became the “annoying creature” I first imagined when I was born as a skeleton.
“Kerlock-kerh!”
“Ah, really. It’s foul no matter when you drink it.”
Before I knew it, the gray smoke had spread even to the rear, causing our party members to cough incessantly. However, they didn’t need to endure the moldy poison by staying in one place.
Out of the corner of my eye, Baek Ah-rin looked at Ham Eun-young, sending a silent message. Perhaps she wanted to showcase Ham Eun-young’s abilities to Yeon-hee, who had nearly zero contribution points today.
“…… Please… protect me…”
While Ham Eun-young was looking coldly at the party members who seemed noticeably slower, she stepped onto a small rock.
Dressed in a stark black funeral attire that made her look emaciated, she cleared her throat a few times and finally began to sing.
“In the lush forest, a blue wolf runs – soft winds cry and embrace them – those who will never be bound shall thus embrace each other – chase after, you unfortunate children of the forest dreaming of freedom – oh oh―♪”
Ah…
As she began to sing, an incredibly clear and pure sound echoed throughout the forest, and at the same time, our hearts began to waver.
Her voice was deep yet shallow, warm yet cold, filled with emotions of joy and sorrow.
The lyrics matched the dungeon perfectly, causing us to forget the battle and listen intently to the song. It felt less like a song and more like a poem recitation, but that evoked a different kind of appreciation.
The bard’s unique magical wave, rapidly spreading through the lyrics, reached my senses. It felt bright and warm, a stark contrast to her usual demeanor, and I began to ponder if what I was feeling was her true desired self.
“Hah―”
Once her song, which lasted about a minute, concluded, the party members, who were becoming stiff, regained their original physical state. The Gray Mold swarm, which had been sneaking in from all sides, startled and fled to hide.
‘This is… beyond my expectations? It feels like it’s cleansing my mind.’
It was not merely a status ailment removal; the awakening effect was significant enough to help recover our battered mental state.
Moreover, it seemed the monsters were hurriedly fleeing, as if they had heard the eerie sounds of screaming mushrooms. The effective range was broad, and the time taken for the ability to activate was shorter than expected.
‘Looks like we can keep exploring together.’
I nodded in satisfaction.
As everyone held their breath and remained lost in the thoughts brought upon by the song, Baek Ah-rin spoke.
“Wow… It’s always so wonderful to hear… don’t you think?”
Yeon-hee, as if genuinely agreeing, nodded vigorously and replied.
“Yes… I want to hear more. How can a voice be that pure?”
“Mmm…”
After finishing her song, Ham Eun-young returned to her original dark demeanor and hung her head.
However, her face and neck were completely flushed. According to Baek Ah-rin, she couldn’t cope after singing like that.
“Are you thinking of going deeper in? There’s no guarantee you’ll meet a ‘Ghost’ inside anyway.”
Baek Ah-rin suggested she wanted to escape this humid place and move to the open field.
‘Ghosts can be found anywhere; perhaps we should be satisfied with Earth Puppies and Gray Mold for today.’
“Yes! Let’s go outside!”
We quickly moved to the vast plains and fought two more small battles over the course of an hour. Now, it was time to make a decision.
“Just to check again, we’re going for it, right?”
“Yes. I think it’s fine.”
“Once we’ve decided, let’s head straight in.”
We planned to embark on an adventure to challenge the first boss stage of the dungeon we had first entered.
Initially, we weren’t even at the cusp of level 40, so this dungeon’s difficulty didn’t match us. There was no reason to stick around for long; we could just grab the most delicious bits and leave.
“Basically, Dire Wolves target the weak they can easily subdue, so it’s only natural they’d be cautious of us, who have traces of having defeated their kind several times before.”
On our way to the boss battle, Yeon-hee asked Baek Ah-rin, “Is it normally this devoid of monsters?”
It seemed she was feeling anxious from how smoothly the hunt was going, prompting such a question. Meanwhile, I was feeling overwhelmed with different concerns.
• Job Change Quest
– Defeat 10,000 enemies using a skill associated with attributes. (27/10,000)
– Defeat 10,000 enemies while in a stealth state using daggers. (44/10,000)
– Defeat 10,000 enemies with a single blow from a great sword. (0/10,000)
‘It’s the first day, but… this is definitely not going to be easy.’
I might come off as lacking in determination for saying this after just starting the quest, but defeating ten thousand enemies felt like a journey far beyond my current reach.
However, if we were to venture into the Wolf Den, we could definitely pick up the pace since it would be swarming with wolves.
‘First, I need to get a great sword to tackle the single blow quest. I should be able to find great sword materials later…’
If Yeon-hee knew about my quests, she’d probably get me a great sword right away, but it seems that information about job change quests isn’t shared with the summoner. In hindsight, that seems odd. How can one be unaware of the information about their own summoned creature? Hm…
Step, step—
“We should be another hour away.”
Arin, who had been reluctant to see the wolves at first, seemed to be growing slightly embarrassed as it became increasingly difficult to spot them, frequently updating us on the distance to our goal. Maybe she thought everyone would understand her earlier fear of the wolves once we reached that point.
Step, step—
Even while walking, I continued to expand my sense waves to the maximum. This was due to a memory that surfaced during last night’s training.
‘Has the location shifted a bit? We should have emerged by now based on the time spent walking.’
Reflecting on the memories, I believed we should have already encountered that place. I began to worry if we’d strayed into an unexpected area.
How long had we been walking while honing our senses? Suddenly, I detected a hidden empty space deep underground through my wave.
‘A mine…’
Mana stones can sometimes be discovered in nature, aside from those obtained from monsters. Typically, one stumbles upon a way into a mine, striking it rich in the process.
This pathway had been created a long time ago by someone, but who made it remains a mystery.
Of course, one of the three major guilds, the Dwarven Guild, claims that Dwarves built it, but since no one has seen it firsthand, no one agrees with that opinion.
“Clap, clap, clap!!”
“Huh?”
While walking steadily, I suddenly halted and sent a signal by baring my teeth, causing the party to come to a complete stop.
(Ran, come here for a moment.)
(Irwon says that while you can do everything else, why on earth can’t you speak!)
Ran glared at me, annoyed, when I asked for a translation. This guy always adds a remark before saying anything.
(Irwon says he discovered a hidden mine. Master.)
―!!
As Ran conveyed my words, Yeon-hee jumped in surprise.
“Really? Awesome…!”
“What? What is it?”
“Did a wolf mutant appear or something?”
“N-no… Irwon said he found a mine.”
“……E-e-e?!!”
We quickly diverged from our walking path and headed toward the direction I was leading. The party members were following along with their mouths agape, showing no signs of doubt regarding my words.
‘I shouldn’t get my hopes too high…’
The mine that came to mind was small, and the amount of mana stones inside was limited as well. That should be expected.
The fact that they’ve dug a pathway to the mine usually means it had been mined already, so there are often many sites left unfinished. Naturally, that would yield a decent sum of income, but what I was aiming for was not merely mana stones.
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