Although the mark has disappeared, that doesn’t mean these guys won’t chase after me, so I decided to keep my distance for now.
I took a moment to rest while waiting for them to get up from a moderately distant tree, and before long, I witnessed the sight of the paladins, clutching their heads and wailing.
Experiencing direct communication with the divine is no easy feat. It’s not just me; all hunters dealing with attributes experience the same, and for the paladins, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so their wretched self-recrimination was understandable.
‘It seems the mark has definitely been removed. Please don’t let’s see each other again.’
Without hesitation, I left the area and headed towards where the boss battle was taking place.
The location of the chimera was in the outermost area, so it took quite a while to get there. When I arrived, there were dozens of parties waiting with numbered tickets to participate in the boss battle.
‘They all look pretty capable.’
Everyone was a significant contender, so there wasn’t much for me to help with; I just needed to focus on my part.
The way the boss battles in this dungeon were set up meant at least a hundred participants were involved, and I managed to slip into the front of the line while in stealth mode, allowing me to jump straight into the boss battle.
There were devices scattered around to detect hunters using tricks like stealth, but none of them reacted to me.
From B-rank dungeons onwards, many are managed by guilds aside from the Hunter Management Bureau, and this one is handled by the ‘Guardian’ guild.
Ten administrators adorned with the Guardian Guild’s badge, featuring a winged shield, were coordinating order.
Considering the boss battle managers for C-rank dungeons were usually fewer than five, it seemed like a waste of manpower, but when I thought about how drastically different the hunters’ attitudes are when dealing with government administrators versus general guild administrators, maybe ten was actually a small number.
Thankfully, given the Guardian Guild’s prestigious standing in our country, it’s probably manageable with ten.
Staring at the Guardian Guild mark reminded me of ‘Han Eul-min.’ The guy had his arm chopped off by ‘Tooth’ and got even angrier after that.
His temper got him into trouble in a restaurant, leading to the loss of his other wrist too.
‘He must have reattached his wrist right away… what’s he up to these days?’
Such curiosity didn’t last long.
“Alright, this group consists of a total of 12 teams, with 107 participants. Please have a safe raid, everyone.”
With the administrator’s formal announcement, over a hundred hunters headed confidently towards the dungeon’s ruler.
Trapped within a barrier, they awaited hunters who would rush in to kill them, as a cruel twist of fate would have it.
Thinking about it that way, the term “ruler of the dungeon” seemed like an insult to them.
As we stepped inside, a massive stone statue over 15 meters tall unfurled from its hunched posture, stretching itself.
“Wow, it’s huge.”
“Dude, if that foot stomps down on you even once, you’re just turning into fertilizer. You won’t even find a bone.”
“Haha, that’s a bit ridiculous.”
Hunters who seemed to be facing this for the first time attempted to ease their nervousness with jokes.
However, the other hunters, as seasoned veterans, didn’t bat an eye and casually stretched or yawned.
‘The Living Statue of Strength; a monster with as much power as its name suggests. Just one hit, and all my bones would turn to dust.’
That said, I had no intention of dangling around in the sky casting skills.
In a way, it was the most suitable opponent for me to take on without pressure, and it also offered me an experience opportunity, with thoughts of ranking high in contributions for rewards.
Given it’s the boss of a B-rank dungeon, it’s statistically likely to drop rare-grade runes.
Boom—Boom—Boom-Boom!!
The massive stone statue began to charge, shaking the ground.
“Run!!”
“We just have to hold out for three minutes!”
Whooooosh—!!
Within a few steps, the beast that kicked out, sending shockwaves our way, suddenly turned wide-eyed and cast a petrifying curse over a broad area.
Unlike the regular ‘Living Statue,’ bosses can cast curses without any conditions, so without fail, every single time, they blend curses into their first attacks.
But, since this pattern was so well-known, no one fell victim.
Whether it was items or skills to nullify the curse, or they simply had already stepped outside the range of petrification, the hunters had effortlessly blocked the boss’s first turn and counterattacked, me blending in seamlessly with the flow.
And fifteen minutes later.
BAMMM——!!
Boom—!
“Wait… it’s already down?”
“What gives? You usually have to beat it up for at least 30 minutes before it goes down.”
The hunters were perplexed when they cleared it so early.
‘Have I really beaten down monsters this thoroughly before?’
With over a hundred hunters pulling aggro, everyone poured their magic into skills, launching a barrage of attacks.
The stress accumulated on the paladins was being released.
I quickly slipped through the bewildered hunters to reach the center of the boss monster.
As I got closer, it shook itself and revealed a rune that indicated it was my reward.
Rune of Absorption (Rare)
– Restores +15 Magic Power upon defeating enemies.
The Rune of Absorption I received was nearly twice as good as the superior grade, and a few higher-grade mana stones came my way too, which promptly vanished into Yeon-hee’s possession.
Equipping the Rune of Absorption (Superior) I had on, I found myself wearing two Runes of Absorption, allowing me to recover 23 magic for every monster I defeated.
Of course, the magic spent to take down an upper-tier monster was more than that, but with a recovery stat well exceeding a hundred, I shouldn’t feel any shortage in magic against regular monsters.
Once the boss fight was over, leaving the throngs of hunters rushing towards my spot, I prepared to engage in more dungeon hunting.
Slaying every monster in sight while my thoughts drifted elsewhere.
‘I wonder if I could have found the temple solely with my abilities if I had entered that hidden space that Areina told me about…’
Such unforeseen rewards provided a refreshing perspective once again.
I decided to sweep through my senses more thoroughly, checking if there were any hidden spaces I might have missed.
Although perhaps because Azraelon was not by my side, the drop rate of runes was atrocious, but the higher-grade mana stones, which trade in the low hundreds, dropped quite frequently, resulting in a great financial harvest.
Despite being sidetracked by other matters earlier today, within a short span, I ended up holding over a hundred mana stones.
‘Let’s make money quickly and escape the clutches of that damn Jo Gi-man.’
Of course, even if I paid him back, he wouldn’t just let me off easy, but with Yeon-su’s help, I should be able to manage.
Hours flew by as I splattered monsters and explored hidden areas, until I finally reached the backmost part of the dungeon.
The dark gray cliff, towering endlessly, marked the dungeon’s boundary.
The edges of the dungeon were always like this.
‘Come to think of it, I never thought to explore this far since I became a skeleton.’
It seemed that one of the S-rank hunters had spent weeks trying to see what lay at the end of this cliff, but he could never make it.
‘There must be some kind of barrier repeating the intervals.’
To my surprise, the inside of this cliff was an area my senses could not detect at all.
Knock-Knock—
While tapping the cliff without much thought, a curious question crossed my mind.
‘It’s strange that I haven’t encountered any Were Crocs despite searching every nook and cranny.’
Even if they could perceive the waves of my senses, given my speed, encountering at least one should be expected.
There wasn’t even a place to hide anywhere.
‘If they sensed the chimera’s energy and hid, the fact that they remain undetected means…’
As I stared vacantly at the cliff, pondering, I hesitantly poked my finger towards it.
[Ground-Digging Destroyer]
– Allows for significantly easier excavation of all terrain similar to ground.
Scratch-Scratch—
‘Wow, it digs really well? It shouldn’t normally be this easy…’
Didn’t other hunters think about digging into this cliff?
I believed many had tried to see what lay beyond this cliff, only to come back empty-handed.
If that’s the case, then why is this cliff, which I could penetrate like pudding, even a thing?
I swung my club at the cliff, only to find I couldn’t damage it at all this time.
It seemed the activation of the skill played a part in this.
‘Maybe it’s possible because I borrowed the monster’s skill…’
Thinking again, the skill I gained from the ‘Cliff Worm’ fusing with my power created the [Ground-Digging Destroyer], so that could be the reason.
‘Shall I venture deeper?’
I gradually quickened my pace, digging into the cliff, and before I knew it, had traveled several dozen meters.
‘My senses still aren’t functioning.’
However, aside from taste, the other senses were active, so I stayed vigilant for any other anomalies as I moved ahead.
After a few minutes of digging.
Whooosh—
‘What?!’
My hand pierced into empty space.
It was a hollow area.
Emerging from the excavation, I found myself standing on a well-maintained passageway measuring three meters high and five meters wide.
It was a finely crafted tunnel.
I had no idea who built it, but clearly, it was made by highly skilled individuals.
The tunnel had a familiar feel, yet I could not recall where I had seen it before.
‘Hmm… someone’s there.’
I could feel the magical energy emanating from living creatures wafting through the air.
There were more than one or two.
Moving instinctively, I came across a rather extensive chamber spread beneath my feet.
‘This is…’
To my astonishment, the area was home to hundreds of Were Crocs living together.
‘Are they forming a village…? Weren’t they supposed to live in the river?’
The thought of Were Crocs leading such a lifestyle had never crossed my mind, leaving my mouth agape as I gazed for an extended moment at the expansive scene of life before me.
They were preparing skewers with hunted ‘Pierce Big Boars’ and ‘Diva’, and I could spot several younglings, not yet fully grown, scattered among them.
‘Little ones…’
Amidst my confusion and helplessness, while scratching my head, I sensed movement coming towards me from the direction I had traveled.
[Stealth]
Their movements were extremely careful, like those of hunters stalking their prey.
‘They’ve noticed I’m here. Two of them.’
It was a mistake to have left a hint of my senses.
But since they didn’t act with certainty that I was the enemy, they were approaching without making much noise, so I waited for the moment they hesitated and quickly struck, lopping off the heads of the two scouts.
Thud—
– You have slain ‘Were Croc’ for the first time!
– You have slain ‘Were Croc’!
‘Grrr— it can’t fall to the ground.’
In a near-acrobatic move, I snatched the severed heads and placed them into the storage space as I made the decision to retreat, leaving the rest behind while sneaking out.
Why was I showing mercy to these guys when I had slaughtered the goblin tribe without hesitation? Was it because they lived with their young? Or perhaps their striking resemblance to humans besides their heads?
Or maybe it was that the Were Crocs had their own stories like the ‘Diva’?
Regardless, I retraced my steps back outside, feeling the return of my familiar senses.
Clunk—!
I was sucked through a portal summoned by Yeon-hee and returned to the Dark Space.
Having used the summon portal often, I had learned to notice its appearance before it showed up.
‘Hmm… that was some impeccable timing.’
– You have acquired the trait [Sensitive Sense]!
– You have acquired the skill [Water Weapon]!
– The achievement [Pioneer] is activated!
– All attributes increased by 2!
I couldn’t contain my excitement as I observed the notification that appeared after defeating the Were Croc. It’s said that abilities related to senses are not easily obtained.
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