I spread my senses to survey my surroundings first.
As my sensitivity value exceeded 200, my detection range increased to 8km.
However, the time it took to grasp the information correspondingly lengthened, so I wasn’t currently investing my senses.
This dungeon has a multi-layer structure consisting of the first floor and the underground first floor.
For a B-rank dungeon, the size is significantly vast, usually taking 2-3 days to clear.
But since I planned to release Yeon-hee for summoning right after she finished exploring the dungeon, I didn’t have to focus on clearing it.
‘Definitely spacious.’
Monsters like Pierce Big Boar and Red Goblin were abundant near the entrance, but it seemed I needed to hurry to encounter new monsters.
Grrrr──!
– You have defeated the Pierce Big Boar!
– You have defeated the Hanjaring!
On my way, I selectively dealt with just the Big Boars and Hanjaring.
Especially, a single Big Boar would feed Yeon-hee and her companions for days, so I couldn’t afford to miss any.
After twenty minutes of moving,
‘Been a while.’
A gigantic statue named Living Statue was caught by my senses.
It was a human-shaped statue made of gray stone, with ten arms and a head that was disproportionately large compared to its body.
Standing at around 4 meters tall and nearly 2 meters wide, it almost felt like encountering a small tank.
It stood there aimlessly, gazing up at the sky.
They always greet us in such a posture, as if waiting for divine revelation that won’t come.
Although it was immune to physical attacks, I pulled out my great sword as usual.
‘Does cutting through space count as a physical attack?’
Now, it’s time to find out.
The tricky thing about [Stealth] is that I can make refined attacks. The opponent has no time to prepare for my attack.
[Void Slash] Flame Cut
Grrrr──!
──?!
‘It works after all.’
I neatly split the head of the statue, which was thick enough that the neck wasn’t distinguishable, by about 20cm. I nodded in satisfaction.
Rumble──!
As soon as I was attacked, the Living Statue immediately counterattacked.
My enormous punch flew from various directions toward me after my [Stealth] was lifted.
This dungeon has a significant damage output from physical attacks.
There was no need to test my defense here.
Whoooosh──!!
The tremendous swing tore through the air, almost lifting my body off the ground.
‘…Incredibly fast and powerful. If I get hit, my defense might break.’
Before my job change, I might have barely dodged, but since my abilities have dramatically improved, avoiding it wasn’t difficult.
As I lightly avoided the attack, the statue’s eyes brightened.
‘Let’s see if I can take one hit.’
– Your powerful resistance nullifies [Curse of the Statue]!
‘Just as I expected!’
Confirming that the magical resistance I gained from defeating the Great Evil One Bin Chi-seung was effective, I cheered.
The ability of [Calm] provides resistance against mental status ailments, but I was uncertain whether it could block a curse from the magic system. Such worries were now one less.
Rumble──
Having received a blow meant to be avoided and nullifying even a curse, the statue’s previously indifferent expression contorted grotesquely.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Relying on overwhelming physical power, it pressured me.
However, I stubbornly evaded the advancing statue and leaped high into the sky, pouring [Special Strong Acid] on its head.
It has the trait of recovering a certain percentage of damage dealt as health and magic when receiving magic damage, so I didn’t use any other skills.
The statue wasn’t highly intelligent and spun in place, glaring at me.
Oblivious to the falling strong acid, it was almost cute, merely staring at the sky.
Szzz──!
‘As expected… it seems strong acid doesn’t trigger the recovery effect since it’s not magic…’
But, due to being made of stone, the effect wasn’t that substantial.
While its surface was beginning to erode slightly, it would take ages if this continued.
I bound it with [Chain of Flame] and heated the stone with [Flame Thrower].
Then, pouring Irmana’s water on the glowing red-hot head of the statue, cracks began to form across its body starting from where I had split its face during the first attack.
‘This is much better.’
[Siclarin]
Boom──!
As I slashed the water blade at the cracked area, the Living Statue crumbled down.
– You have defeated the ‘Living Statue’ for the first time!
– Trait [Thievery] has activated!
– You have obtained the trait [Power of the Statue]!
– Achievement [Pioneer] has been unlocked.
– All attributes have increased by 1.
[Power of the Statue]
– Damage taken from magic: -15%
– For every 10 health lost due to magic, recover 10 health and magic.
‘Wow, this is an incredibly good trait!’
Any ability with damage reduction is highly valuable, and a 15% reduction is truly amazing.
– You have acquired the skill [Curse of the Statue]!
– Achievement [Pioneer] has been unlocked.
– All attributes have increased by 1.
[Curse of the Statue]
– Consume 50 magic to curse an enemy that evaded your physical attack.
– Turns a local part of their body into ‘petrification’ for 1 minute.
‘The magic cost might be a bit high, but it’s a good skill. It’s slightly vague what counts as evasion against my attacks…’
Rumble- Boom!
‘Oh, did some extra guests arrive?’
After defeating one, other statues that had been quietly staying began to swarm toward me.
‘This will take some time.’
Two massive statues pair up and charge at me.
Vroom── Whoosh──!
‘This is a bit tough!’
On a one-on-one basis, they’d be no big deal, but their durability extended the time needed for me to deal with them, and the more of them that gathered, the longer it took.
– You have defeated the ‘Living Statue’!
– You have defeated the ‘Living Statue’!
– You have acquired Rune of Absorption (Advanced)!
After defeating seven more, I no longer wanted to waste time, so I made my escape.
Rune of Absorption (Advanced)
– Recover +5 magic upon defeating an enemy.
I replaced the intermediate rune I had with the advanced one that one of them dropped.
After gathering all the small gems the statues dropped, I continued to move and discovered a party led by Aunt Eun Hyeon-sook that I had seen before entering the dungeon.
Carrying a gigantic iron mace, aptly nicknamed “Mace of Madness,” she was flooring a pack of Pierce Big Boars as if they were a mop.
‘She’s still incredibly strong. Both the mace and her strength are remarkable. But why did she come into the Living Statue dungeon? A mace wouldn’t do much against them… oh, she has an enchanter next to her.’
An enchanter temporarily adds magic attributes to weapons.
If that person assists her, the physical tank Eun Hyeon-sook can perform heroics befitting her nickname “Mace of Madness.”
‘This is my first time seeing up close that mace… it must come with some good options.’
Sometimes, during dungeon exploration, people find treasure chests at low probabilities, gaining unique weapons as luck might have it. Eun Hyeon-sook was one of those lucky ones.
Unique weapons are completely bound to the wearer, meaning they cannot be transferred to others.
If the wearer dies, the weapon simply vanishes, so there’s nothing to covet.
If I recall, that mace is a splendid weapon that increases its destructive power and throwing speed according to one’s strength.
It was the perfect weapon for someone with a physique reminiscent of an average heavyweight fighter.
Whoosh- Whoosh-
I could only marvel at the absurd sight of her turning five Big Boars into a blood puddle all at once.
‘Impressive.’
Even I would find it tough to dodge that mace now.
Of course, it would be even more challenging to block it without taking any damage.
‘The fact that someone with such a violent disposition is being pushed down speaks volumes about the current dungeon situation…’
It was indeed a time of woe for those of lower levels.
I kept my distance from her.
Eun Hyeon-sook possessed a sensing ability called [Revelbane], which has the power to detect potential threats to herself.
Usually, this ability is manifested in sorcerers, making her quite an unusual case.
When I infiltrated the underground factory of the evolved creatures, I once avoided a mage who had that ability by blasting a bomb.
I had no way of knowing the full range of her Revelbane, nor whether she had the power to detect my stealth.
‘So I need to play it safe. Today’s objective is skills.’
As I floated above, looking down, I noticed I wasn’t the only one trying to avoid Eun Hyeon-sook’s party.
Dozens of other parties were instinctively keeping their distance from her.
‘What a nuisance.’
But it was inevitable.
Whenever she encounters another party in the dungeon, she’s highly likely to pick a fight due to her outrageous personality.
I slowly flew while aiming for an area devoid of people, where the monsters I sought were gathered.
Silence─
Only the sounds of rustling insects and flowing water from the nearby valley filled the space, where a unique monster had settled.
I gently released my stealth, holding my position to confirm its abilities.
After about five minutes had passed, I pretended to move away and activated my stealth to return to my original position.
When I came back, a rocky boulder covered in moss was shifting, revealing its form.
‘Ooh… its appearance is impeccable. Even a low-grade doppelganger can look this good. The level of monsters has definitely risen.’
These creatures mimic the surrounding environment or animals to hide and ambush prey when they appear.
However, they couldn’t resist mimicking magic-using hunters and would secretly infiltrate parties to stir up trouble. The reason for this is still unclear.
The doppelganger, which transformed itself to follow me while wearing flame armor, was now inspecting its own body with great interest.
It gave a small nod while bouncing in place, evidently pleased with its new form.
It then shifted its gaze toward the direction I had vanished and started walking that way.
It seemed incapable of copying sounds yet, making no noise while moving silently.
I watched the scene with quiet admiration.
‘Joo-ah and Eun-young might get fooled by this, huh?’
Those with relatively dull senses would surely be deceived by its exterior and get caught.
‘If a regular doppelganger is this capable… the mutants would be a nightmare.’
Having assessed the doppelganger’s skills, I charged at it and swung my sword.
Grrrr──!
“─?!”
As its neck was severed, countless tentacles sprang from the cross-section and writhed like a jellyfish.
Their true form was a pitch-black, translucent amorphous creature.
Without the tentacles, it resembled a slime, but it rarely unveiled its true self unless close to death.
Boom──!
I ignited the detached doppelganger’s head and body with flames.
‘It burns well.’
There was a slightly savory smell, as these creatures are known to have quite an enjoyable texture and taste.
After tearing off a portion of the motionless body, I tossed it in my mouth while placing the rest into my pocket space.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
