The reason Wraiths are troublesome is simple: they have skills that lower a hunter’s level.
The fallen levels due to them can be restored once outside the dungeon, but until then, hunters have to keep fighting with decreased levels.
If you’re unlucky, the use of skills gained by reaching specific levels can also be restricted, making them incredibly deadly for hunters.
While Specters directly target a hunter’s life by draining health, Wraiths slowly suffocate their prey by randomly stealing one stat out of all attributes.
The Wraiths in this dungeon are of a low grade, absorbing only 1 or 2 stats with each skill used, but if they steal 3 or more, the level will temporarily drop.
Though they don’t show up in this dungeon, higher-grade Wraiths continuously lower the hunter’s level, potentially reducing it to 1 and turning them into their thrall.
The thought of monsters enslaving hunters… is utterly horrifying.
– Hehehe
The crimson eyes of the Wraiths flickered with excitement, busily deciding who their next prey would be.
And as if they settled on a target, they wriggled their cloak-like bodies and flew towards the sky without delay.
“Cough…! What the?!”
Not just one, but three—Wraiths, which are said to be hard to encounter in this dungeon, were apparently coming right at them.
“I can’t dodge…!”
“Ugh—We’re doomed! We’re out of Sacred Water!”
“You already used both bottles?! Did you drink because you were thirsty?!”
“No way!!”
Seeing the Wraiths closing in on the Lizardman they were riding, despair washed over them.
Utterly helpless.
The Wraith bared its long, split mouth and looked down at its prey.
– Hehehehe!!
“Ugh! Stop grinning like that, it’s creepy!”
Along with that chilling laughter, the three Wraiths began their indiscriminate attack with five spindly fingers that emitted gray mist.
– Your health temporarily decreases by 1.
– Your resistance temporarily decreases by 2.
– Your magic power temporarily decreases by 1.
– Your agility temporarily decreases by 2.
…
Endless chilling messages echoed in their minds.
With three of them attacking, at least one level was dropping with each assault.
– Your level temporarily drops by one stage!
– Your level temporarily drops by one stage!
– Level…
“Ahhh!! Please, just go away, you miserable creatures!!”
In a final desperate attack, they split the last of their Sacred Water among themselves and aimed at the Wraiths, but the creatures merely flinched and retreated momentarily before renewing their onslaught.
With mental and physical stamina already depleted, they couldn’t inflict any meaningful damage on the monsters.
The distance to the abandoned school was short, but the Wraith’s assault grew fiercer as they closed in.
30m
20m
10m
“We’re almost there!! Move aside! Move!!”
“Help!!”
At the entrance of the abandoned school, where the boss battle was set to take place, they spotted several people, equally ragged, who seemed to also be struggling to get through. They had collapsed right there after their procedures, but right now, that didn’t matter; they yelled for everyone to clear the way.
Suddenly, the four Lizardmen charged in with a terrifying fervor, causing the hunters lying on the ground to recoil in fear.
“Ugh! No, this is… summon…!”
Thunderous crash—!!
Just in front of the barrier, their strenuous summoning suddenly fell apart.
The Lizardman vanished in shining particles, and while Ah-rin and Yeon-hee landed safely, Joo-ah and Eun-young tumbled to the ground and were covered in sand.
“Quick, quick!!”
Yeon-hee and Ah-rin each grabbed a member’s arm and pulled with all their strength, managing to get all four of them inside the barrier.
Crackle—
The Wraiths, who had relentlessly sought to drain their stats, glanced at the girls, letting out a sinister laugh before departing in search of their next prey.
“Hey, you bastard!! I’ll remember your face!!”
Bae Joo-ah couldn’t hold back and shouted curses at the Wraiths. One of them, which had turned around to take off, wobbled back, mocking Joo-ah.
Its movements resembled an old drunk man trying to flaunt his belly—pathetic.
“Cough… humiliating…!”
“Damn, that guy is so annoying. What even was that movement?”
Phew—
Anyway, having passed a major hurdle, they let out a sigh of relief. Though their levels had dropped several stages, they could seek help from other hunters for the way back.
“Baek Ah-rin, how much did your level drop?”
“Sob… I dropped 7 levels…”
“What the hell… I dropped 6, and it’s so frustrating to have our front numbers swapped. H… How about you, Yeon-hee?”
“I dropped 5 levels.”
“And Eun-young?”
“I, I… didn’t drop!”
“…? Why? I mean, why not?”
“Huh? Why not?”
“I don’t know…”
Looking back, it seemed Eun-young hadn’t been targeted by the attacks unusually. Thanks to that, the remaining three ended up being focused down.
Everyone’s eyes naturally shifted to Eun-young’s mirror. Startled, Eun-young quickly hugged it tight.
“……”
Something felt odd, as if that mirror had done something. But they couldn’t quite grasp what that was.
If it indeed had a consciousness, and if it was a higher being than Wraiths… couldn’t it drive them away? The other party members nodded their heads in agreement with that thought.
Having a teammate with a good item isn’t necessarily bad. They tried to think positively about it.
“Ugh… let’s rest a bit.”
They moved to a secluded corner of the ruined castle and leaned against the wall, sometimes glancing at the tender glowing castle, wondering what was happening inside.
“… Let’s not say a word until Il-wol comes out, okay?”
“Should we? They say it’s a good idea to rest, even just for a bit, after going through something like Stagnation dozens of times.”
“Then should we take turns resting until Il-wol shows up?”
“Okay! I’ll keep watch first!”
With that, the four began taking turns dozing off, starting with the magically exhausted Bae Joo-ah.
She pulled out a pillow from her inventory and fell asleep as soon as her head hit it.
“She was really tired.”
“She’s the type who gets energized by earning money, and with no runes today, it must be worse!”
As Ah-rin said, the drops had dried up; it was the worst situation where not even a single rune was obtained. Was this a side effect of the Mimic’s appearance? It was anyone’s guess, but it seemed highly likely.
Thus, the blissful resting time passed quickly.
“Oh, it’s coming out!”
“We survived, hehe-”
“……”
The giant door summoned by Yeon-hee began to slowly open.
* * *
– Your level has increased! Choose three stats to raise!
– Your level has increased! Choose three stats to raise!
– The skill [Flame Cut] has leveled up!
‘This message feels like a long overdue greeting.’
Hunting that formidable Werewolf only led to a two-level gain, which was disappointing, but reaching level 50 still felt refreshing.
‘With 95 lives left… it seems like I’m using them steadily.’
Should I feel like I have some leeway with my lives?
‘Well… since I’ve lost 5% of my life points starting from the D class, this is worth considering.’
Still, knowing a route to obtain ‘Life Potions’ was some consolation.
My heart, which swirled with both excitement and worry, gradually became as calm as a serene lake. Shaking my head lightly, I decided to check the status window.
=====
[Skeleton Mage Il-wol – Lv.50]
Strength: 187 Agility: 151
Health: 123 Wisdom: 159
Magic Power: 151 Resistance: 15
Sense: 62 Recovery: 45
* The blessing of Irmana is not applied.
* High-level magic circuit is active.
1. When your remaining magic falls below 100, the magic recovery rate increases by 100%.
2. When your remaining magic falls below 50, your magic recovers to maximum once per day.
3. When your remaining magic falls below 30, the magic recovery speed increases by 300% for 10 minutes.
4. Linked companions receive half of the first effect.
Traits: Calm, Protection, Obsession, 95 lives*, Adhesion, Pain Resistance, Obey’s Blessing, Irmana’s Blessing, Hit’s Favor, Penetration, Sharp Claws, Digging, Gray Fungus Poison, Obsession*
Skills: Stealth, Dagger Throw, Acid Spray, Basic Transmutation, Reckless Charge, Contaminated Breath, Skeleton Bomb, Warrior’s Roar, Flame Cut, Fireball, Transformation*
Equipment: Sage Argen’s Defense Dagger, Bone Armor (Grade 4)
Stats: 6
=====
The status window I hadn’t opened in a while was filled with new additions. Among them, the most eye-catching was undoubtedly the newly acquired skill [Transformation].
‘Transformation, huh… so that’s it.’
They say it grants me what I most desired, and it seems this ability is exactly that.
Having lived as a skeleton was surprisingly comfortable, and I don’t plan on becoming a human, but I do feel the need to occasionally act as one. This ability to briefly change into another form was definitely close to the power I wanted.
A dangerously powerful skill that allows me to transform into the appearance of a person I remember under certain conditions. A privilege granted only to a very few among all hunters worldwide.
Though it’s known that some of the top-tier hunters possess [Transformation], sightings of them actually using it are extremely rare.
Of course. Who would want to be close to someone who can transform? It’s a common sense move to keep it hidden as much as possible.
The surprise of receiving a reward that far exceeded expectations was momentarily disorienting, yet thinking of it as a reward for defeating the Mimic made me nod along.
As I gazed softly at the Transformation skill, the description of the skill unfolded in an instant.
=====
Transformation Lv.1
– A remarkable ability gifted by the golden Mimic ‘Tanya’ through a part of her ‘fragment’. This is different from the standard [Transformation] solidified at the starting point.
– Tanya’s fragment is fused, granting a powerful special ability.
– Perfectly mimics the appearance of the subject of transformation.
– Perfectly mimics the gestures of the subject of transformation.
– Implementation of the subject’s voice has limitations.
– Once leveled up, limited abilities of the subject of transformation can be utilized.
– Usable once per day, with a duration of 30 minutes.
– All stats decrease temporarily by 50 upon using Transformation.
〔Transformation Possible List〕
1. Guide Yoon Han-gyeol
2. Summoner Lee Yeon-hee
〔Collecting Information…〕
1. Ice Mage Noh Ha-yoon
2. Sorceress Bae Joo-ah
3. Knight Baek Ah-rin
4. Ddung-i
5. Wang-wang
…
[Special Traits]
– Growth limit released.
– No restrictions to Transformation Possible List.
– Upon using Transformation, locates one of the nearest sinister groups.
=====
‘Oh gosh, my head… whew…’
The lengthy skill description rivaled the status window, making my head spin.
‘How could a single skill have so many abilities…’
Each feature was filled with incredible descriptions, but the most surprising detail was that Yeon-hee was on the Transformation Possible List.
‘What if I transform into Yeon-hee’s form… hmm…’
I momentarily imagined what it would be like to look like Yeon-hee.
‘……’
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