“What should we do?”
“Of course we should go!”
“Isn’t it better to head straight there?”
“Could it be that the fight we had nearby before had an impact?”
“Come on, no way.”
While my companions thought that was impossible, I had a feeling from the resonance of sense.
“The breath of the two-headed dragon swept through the gate. It probably caused the unstable gate to burst.”
I didn’t mean for it to happen, but feeling a slight guilt, we flew straight there.
“Is everyone feeling okay?”
Yeon-hee worried about my companions’ stamina after two days of hard hunting and returning.
“Don’t worry about me! My recovery rate skyrocketed after taking down the Great Beast!”
“As long as Il-wol is here, I’m good.”
“Right. Just having Il-wol’s buff is more than enough.”
“Thank goodness. But if the hidden dungeon breaks, we might encounter ‘Frizkana’. Will we be okay?”
Frizkana was considered an A-rank monster. If only we could strike it, capturing it shouldn’t be a problem. But looking at its solid defense wrapped in ice and gems made it no easy feat.
And whether I could strike it down with one blow would also reveal how much my swordsmanship had improved.
“There must be some variables. Why would they request support for a monster they always hunt?”
I sensed I should approach this situation cautiously.
[Grurrr…]
The Sword Dragon that had quickly brought us all to the base appeared.
“Don’t get too angry, Sword Dragon.”
Though it looked displeased to keep being my mount, Yeon-hee comforted it a few times, and it quickly cheered up, soaring high.
It would fly around until it was needed to unleash its breath.
“Everyone, let’s move while keeping our presence hidden.”
Nod-
Everyone silently looked at me, waiting for me to assess the situation first.
“Hmm… This is a bit intriguing. And dangerous.”
I thought about why Ilseom had requested support; it seemed that unexpected things were stirring up monsters in the mountains.
“Other worlds’ humans competing for monsters in the hidden dungeon… They’ve appeared.”
I realized that the inhabitants of this world, led by Frizkana, were already engaged in a large-scale battle with the hunters from Ilseom Guild who had arrived before us.
“Those otherworlders?! That’s a big deal, isn’t it?”
Ah-rin reacted first, looking like the world was collapsing around her.
While other companions wondered if it was alright considering Ilseom Guild’s strength, I was feeling cold sweat trickling down my back from monitoring the frontline battle in real time.
“There’s a monster surpassing the S-rank middle tier… But where’s Hyeon Il-hwan?”
Even if Mr. Jung-gil often wanted to help, there were times he couldn’t. But it was troubling that someone who should be a pillar of Ilseom wasn’t present while the main force was being attacked.
“So that guy requested help from the association. Thankfully, the instructors are managing to hold them off, but they are being pushed back. If we charge in now, we might just draw aggro on ourselves.”
“I heard a bit before, but just who are they?”
At Noh Ha-yoon’s question, Ah-rin looked at me.
Since I planned to make a wide detour instead of entering the battlefield immediately, I shrugged my shoulders as if saying to take it slow.
“The Ilseom Guild referred to those otherworlders as ‘Asymbiotic Species’.”
“Asymbiotic Species… does that mean their souls are bound to frost…”
“They have two characteristics…”
Following behind me, Ah-rin quietly shared the information she knew more thoroughly.
“One is that they are under the control of an ice spirit, so their free will is limited, and the other is that they are not a single entity.”
“They’re not a single entity, meaning we have to fight the spirit that controls them too? Like a parasite controlling their body?”
“Exactly. The ice spirit, ‘Crystalride’. The System refers to them that way. And their special ability has always put Ilseom Guild’s hunters in a tough spot.”
“I’ve heard about this from drunken conversations. ‘Blizzard Guard’. It’s a terrifying ability that inflicts [Freeze] and [Frostbite] if you attack them.”
Attacking these otherworlders directly would put you at risk of being afflicted with status ailments.
Even though the freezing time was very short, it would be enough to cancel skills that were activated.
And with [Frostbite] slowing the movements of specific body parts, it burdens the damage taken even more.
“Even if they are the same level, we’re risking two to three ranks lower, so it’s only natural to find them challenging.”
“So the higher-ranking hunters entering the depths of the hidden dungeon have to consume ‘Warm Essence’. It’s a potion that warms the body, and it has a bit of resistance against status effects.”
“Oh… as expected, the Guild planned ahead, huh?”
“I don’t think it has been long since they started using that potion. Anyway, ever since that potion was developed, we haven’t been overwhelmed by the otherworlders, and as long as they don’t come deep in, they wouldn’t recklessly attack us, but how did it come to this…”
“Seriously. Just when we wrapped up with the Devouring Creeper, and days later it’s chaos…”
We continued to grumble for about ten minutes as we traveled.
And finally, we found a mass of monsters that had burst from the hidden dungeon.
Fortunately, there were no otherworlders, but of course, it was because I had avoided them.
“Let’s start taking down the weak ones gradually.”
The first one we encountered was a massive beetle-like monster. It was ‘Minescarabe’.
Its hard yellow shell, coated in a smooth sheen, served as a great attack tool just by charging at us, and it even fired bombs from a cannon-like reproductive organ hidden inside.
“Three of them… That’s manageable, but the ones next to them are a problem. Why are they traveling together? I thought they had a predator-prey relationship?”
The familiar-shaped bugs clustered around the Minescarabe were Blood Mosquitoes.
I knew that the main monsters in the hidden dungeon would attack one another right away, so something was seriously wrong.
“There are three Minescarabe and over a hundred Blood Mosquitoes in a large group.”
“Whoa— this is no joke from the start.”
My companions flinched slightly upon hearing my report.
“We absolutely mustn’t allow the Minescarabe to charge. Don’t even think about blocking it.”
“Is it really that strong?”
“Yeah. It’s probably related to its traits or skills.”
But we held the absolute advantage.
“Let’s start the attack with our strongest skills.”
“Sure.”
The monsters, sensitive to the unfamiliar environment, were on high alert, cautiously moving towards the city.
But we had already approached to a safe distance where their faces were clearly visible.
Everyone began gathering their mana.
Nod-
As I raised my arm, the attacks from my companions rained down on them.
Noh Ha-yoon’s Ice Storm and Bae Joo-ah’s Boulder Slam initiated the assault.
Simultaneously, Yeon-hee’s Dire Wolf squad unleashed lightning blasts, and the Black Bird’s whirlwinds followed up, forcing the monsters into a [Provocation].
More than a hundred monsters were incapacitated for a few seconds by that one joint attack, and after that, the summoned creatures Yeon-hee called rushed in to beat them up relentlessly.
Boom!
However, as soon as they were provoked, the golden beetle curled up, launching barrage attacks.
“Those guys don’t seem to be a good choice for provocation.”
Sometimes, there are monsters that actually get stronger due to provocation.
The Minescarabe seemed to fall into that category.
But even their bombardments couldn’t break through the Ogre’s front lines.
“Roar!”
“Looks like the Ogres are mad.”
The Ogres took the full brunt of the Minescarabe’s attacks barehanded.
Despite their proud poses, the attacks were strong enough to send shockwaves through their bodies.
One of them had its right side of the head completely obliterated, and Yeon-hee resolved to cast ‘Mystical Mucus’ on the Ogres urgently after witnessing that.
“Roaarr!”
Despite the considerable damage taken, Ogres quickly showed signs of recovery.
Just the fact that they could demonstrate such unreal recuperative abilities was enough to label them as fearsome creatures.
“Wow— look at that toughness.”
“Definitely the best tanker.”
Feeling reassured just by the Ogres standing there, ready to support us was uplifting.
Crack- krrrr!
I charged in with the pack of Dire Wolves, using [Thunderhorn] to pound the defensive Minescarabe.
Attacks with lightning properties often worked effectively against creatures with such sturdy defenses.
Sizz-
Soon, the golden beetle’s body, grilled by hundreds of lightning strikes, began to emit steam.
‘This aroma… can I eat that…?’
At that moment, the thought crossed my mind, as a rich fragrance spread all around.
It was so savory that even though I couldn’t eat it, I was drooling.
– You have been awarded the first kill of the Minescarabe!
– Trait [Thievery] has been activated.
– Trait [Radiant Defensive Stance] has been acquired!
– Achievement [Pioneer] has been activated.
– All Attributes have increased by 1!
“Exactly! This one comes with a grand-sounding name!”
[Radiant Defensive Stance]
– A golden defense shield that activates upon recognition of receiving damage.
– Absorbs a certain amount of magical damage, and then releases the absorbed power to the first enemy that charges.
“Wow… this is an unexpected ability. So that’s why that headbutt hurt?”
Although it was unfortunate that the ability was limited to magical attacks, the mere fact that a shield would form automatically was useful.
– Trait [Thievery] has been activated.
– You cannot acquire the skill [Seed Burst]. You need a reproductive organ for that skill.
– [Thievery] grants corresponding rewards. The ability of [Skeleton Bomb] has been enhanced!
“…What? I can’t get the skill because I don’t have a reproductive organ? What kind of nonsense is that?!”
I’ve seen it all, but never imagined a male would be denied a skill due to that.
“Did I need to enter while in [Mimicry] state during the first defeat? It’s not something I can tell my companions yet. Damn it. How frustrating.”
I could have acquired the ability to launch shells from an important area.
“Hmm… that would be a bit weird.”
[Skeleton Bomb Lv.15]
– Process the bones of monsters into mana-infused bombs, and deal damage (700% of attack power) upon throwing.
– The higher the grade of processed bones, the more additional damage occurs.
– You can simultaneously unleash all the stored bombs in an explosive manner.
– Currently storing 197/200
Unlike other skills, [Skeleton Bomb] continues to grow without any leveling limits.
And it was enhanced as compensation for not receiving Seed Burst.
“The 600% damage value increased by another 100%. The better part is the third option. I won’t have to make a ridiculously huge explosion anymore.”
Recently, I had been summoning the ‘Gori’ unit for self-destruct attacks, but summoning ‘Gori’ alone costs 200 mana.
“So I guess I don’t have to do that anymore.”
Eliminating the time to summon the ‘Gori’ while allowing for the potential to simultaneously detonate two hundred bombs was a significant advantage indeed.
“This is better than just adding a skill.”
As I re-evaluated my situation, I realized it was actually a gain.
Boom!
The Ogres, quick despite their large size, showed signs of being hit too often by the Blood Mosquito’s blood-sucking attacks.
“Ahh- Ogomgome Seven!! If you keep getting your blood sucked, you’ll get stronger!”
“Boo—?!”
The seventh Ogre, now affectionately nicknamed ‘Ogomgome’ by Yeon-hee, scratched its head before slamming the mosquito’s snout right into the ground.
“Ogomgome… I couldn’t stop that naming…”
But the Ogres seemed to be overjoyed, clapping their hands.
Crack!
Somewhere in frustration over being scolded by Yeon-hee, the Ogre stomped on the Blood Mosquito that was smashed to the ground multiple times, turning it into a pancake.
“Overwhelming. I feel like our party would be complete with just one single healer left.”
While Ham Eun-young’s Healing Song provided area healing acceleration, it wasn’t on the level of an S-rank healer like Gu Sang-min.
Even getting a C-rank healer would significantly improve our stability, but it was regrettable not to have anyone to bring in.
“It’d be perfect if a healer-type summoned creature pops up.”
Of course, expecting it wouldn’t guarantee it, so I’d better plan on stocking up on potions for now.
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