The Assault Turtle needs to gain momentum after a lengthy delay before it can launch the same attack again, so now it’s time for us to counterattack.
Those guys, perhaps exhausted from exerting themselves, have their long faces poking above the water, their gigantic noses covering half of their faces as they catch their breath.
“Phuh- Phuh-”
Even as they huff roughly, they’re keeping a close eye on our movements. They looked greatly flustered that their ultimate attacks didn’t work.
Of course, we can’t let this opportunity slip away.
“Black Bird!!”
On Yeon-hee’s signal, two ‘Black Birds’ flapped their wings in unison, creating a swirling vortex of black.
The swirling vortex grew stronger as it rode the river’s waves, and the Assault Turtle hurriedly inhaled, attempting to hide its head underwater.
Kwah—!
However, the Assault Turtle, having run headlong into a powerful attack, couldn’t easily evade our onslaught. The massive turtles whirled chaotically, caught up in the vortex, and shot up about two meters above the water’s surface.
Boom—
The amount they soared into the air was as impressive as their heavy bodies.
After spinning a few times before crashing back into the water, the Assault Turtle shook its head vigorously, trying to regain its senses.
But a status ailment like confusion wouldn’t wear off so easily.
Although they stumbled, they began frantically flapping their legs in an attempt to retreat backward.
As Chehwa, Nefie, and the ‘Gori’ unit coordinated to threaten them from behind, the turtles couldn’t move boldly outside.
Kwahkakwa—
The claws of ‘Gori’ scraped the shell of the Assault Turtle, causing sparks to fly.
“Looks like since it’s not in assault mode, our attacks are actually damaging it.”
Sparks flew up as a hundred Hook Bats’ attacks scratched sharp lines across the Turtle’s shell.
The turtles seemed to realize this wasn’t an ordinary attack, slowly huddling together.
When the beleaguered turtles gathered in one spot, the heavily-stored neck of the Sword Dragon began to rumble.
Soon, a horrific breath of shadow attribute began to engulf the turtles.
Kwahkwahkwah—
The Sword Dragon’s ultimate attack, which landed right in the center of the Assault Turtle group, annihilated more than half of them in an instant.
“Whoa—”
“That’s incredibly strong…”
I soared high into the air, soaring above the remaining Assault Turtles and splitting their shells apart.
[Flame Cut]
Ssseog—
– You will be expelled from the dungeon if you do not return to the ‘Wandering Ship’ within 10 seconds.
“Huh?! What?!”
I was certain summoned creatures didn’t incur such penalties upon falling from the ship.
The Sword Dragon, freely flying high above in the sky, was ample proof of that.
Having ventured outside for a moment, I had no choice but to return to the ship in haste.
While returning, I pondered deeply.
‘Hunters are given three seconds to return, and I have a ten-second penalty. It’s rather lenient.’
This meant that there was some restriction applied between summoned creatures and hunters.
‘Because of the alteration, am I no longer fully recognized as a summoned creature? This is ridiculous.’
This was quite a serious problem for me, but the sensation in my legs interrupted my thoughts.
Upon returning to the ship, I found myself immobilized as if my legs were bound in chains.
Once you receive a warning message, you endure this penalty for several minutes.
Even though I was fixed in the center of the ship, thankfully the chains were invisible to others, so I pretended to cast Fireballs and Thunderhorns to continue providing support.
“Sigh— well, worrying about it won’t change anything.”
Let’s focus on the present.
While my companions wrapped things up, I read the emerging messages.
– You have defeated the Assault Turtle for the first time!
– Trait [Thievery] has been activated.
– Randomly steals the traits and skills of the Assault Turtle.
– You have acquired Trait [Rock Hardening]!
– Traits [Tough Skin] and [Rock Hardening] have fused.
– You have acquired Trait [Robust Armor]!
– Achievement [Pioneer] has been activated.
– All attributes increase by 2 each.
“Whoa?! It fused with [Tough Skin] that I barely used?”
The newly acquired trait combined with my existing one, leading to another created trait and an increase of 2 in all attributes.
[Robust Armor]
– The strength of bones significantly increases, and size regulation is possible.
– Blunt damage -30%
“Exactly…! It’s become a useful trait!”
As soon as I acquired the new trait, significant changes began to happen to my body.
“Is this how quickly the effects show?”
Kudududuk—
The bones inside the armor twisted uncontrollably, beginning to scream.
There was no pain, but I felt a strange sensation as my body was transforming into something entirely different.
“The density of the bones is becoming significantly tighter… It’s good enough to be called metal!”
Especially notable was the increase in resistance to blunt damage, which is fatal against skeleton-type monsters. But that wasn’t all.
– You have acquired Skill [Heavy Legs]!
– Skill [Reckless Charge] has fused with [Heavy Legs].
– Achievement [Pioneer] has been activated.
– All attributes increase by 1 each.
This time, it didn’t create a new skill, but greatly increased the level of the existing [Reckless Charge].
Of course, the bonus from the [Pioneer] achievement gave an additional increase of 1 to my attributes.
=====
[Reckless Charge] Lv.Max
– Charges recklessly in the direction of a designated target.
– Crashes with 500% attack power.
– Defense significantly increases while charging.
– Movement speed increases by 50% while charging.
=====
“Not bad… It’s a pity that I didn’t acquire a water attribute skill.”
Once I confirmed that my companions had finished off all the monsters, I took a look at the newly acquired traits and skills.
First, I concentrated magic power on my left arm, making it swell suddenly as if it turned into an ogre’s.
Then, my companions, who had just finished off the monsters and were regaining their breath, were in awe.
“Oh my gosh! What’s that? You can do that too?”
“Your arm is as big as my thigh!”
“Can you even swing that properly?”
The reactions from my companions were filled with surprise as they looked at my suddenly disproportionate arm.
Noh Ha-yoon’s face turned as red as if she’d encountered her first love. Truly a kid I can’t get a grasp on.
Using my newly swollen left arm, I lightly struck the thick shell of the captured Assault Turtle.
Pachak—
And just like that, the once-tough shell of the Assault Turtle split in half like a wooden chopstick.
“Not only has my defense increased, but this could also be pretty offensive as well.”
While it seems my limits are still swelling only one part at a time, I think I could potentially grow my entire body as I get used to it.
Then it would easily allow me to charge through monsters like a tank alongside [Reckless Charge].
“Wow!! Are you Hercules or what?”
“How can you do that so simply with your strength…”
*Clap, Clap, Clap.*
I said it’s a bit too early to applaud and then activated the upgraded [Reckless Charge].
This time, my thighs swelled up dramatically, and I was propelled forward explosively.
Sseeeek—
Even without any other movement abilities, its effectiveness was astonishing.
Whoa—
Everyone’s eyes widened as they approached, marveling at me and unable to hide their shock.
Being a monster based on a Skeleton Soldier, they couldn’t comprehend how my arms and thighs were swelling up like this.
– You will be expelled from the dungeon if you do not return to the ‘Wandering Ship’ within 10 seconds.
I had briefly stepped outside the ship, but I quickly returned inside using [High-speed Flight].
Clang—
As I landed on the ship, I felt an even heavier chain binding around my leg than the initial penalty.
Every time I go outside, the penalties seem to be getting worse.
“Ugh, what a hassle.”
Suddenly, the usually silent Azraelon made a surprising remark that pierced through to my essence.
(······ You have a knack for absorbing skills from other monsters, don’t you?)
“Huh?!”
He shot me a sharp glance while nestled in Eun-young’s arms.
(It was unclear before, but now that I’ve materialized, it feels distinct. To think there exists someone who can steal others’ abilities without effort… What exactly are you? And who is that woman commanding you?)
Azrael’s eyes widened as if torn vertically, now showing distinct wariness.
He looked at me with a confident glare.
I realized it would be futile to mumble my way out.
“Hmm… Is there any reason for you to tell Eun-young about my abilities?”
I didn’t want the trait of [Thievery] to be revealed to anyone other than Yeon-hee.
Of course, some like Noh Ha-yoon speculated that my ability might be [Bookmark of Memory], but that skill and my traits were entirely different dimensions.
(Is there a reason to hide it? Are you embarrassed to let others know your uniqueness? Why? Why not let your master know the unique worth you possess?)
“You wouldn’t understand, but that’s just how I am. Please don’t tell your master. Although I can’t really stop you if you do.”
(No reason would benefit Eun-young even if you told her, so there’s no point in revealing it.)
“Heh…”
Having gradually begun to communicate since materializing, Azrael was catching on.
While I was unsure how formidable his original powers were, it’s kind of alarming that he’d discerned the essence of my [Thievery], which my companions had merely guessed.
Perhaps I ought to be a bit more cautious. It would be better to delay showing my newly gained abilities.
I stretched my tail out long and gathered the floating remains of the Assault Turtles on the river.
“I’ve obtained two runes of breath!”
Two runes dropped from the ones that the ‘Sword Dragon’ had slain.
I picked one up and inspected it.
Breath Rune (Intermediate)
– Allows you to breathe in environments where breathing is impossible.
– The duration of breath maintained depends on resistance level.
At first glance, one might wonder what this rune does, but it basically allows one to breathe underwater like a fish.
It also works in polluted environments or high-altitude areas, making it particularly useful in underwater dungeons.
Notably, this rune is assessed solely by its grade, without displaying any specific values.
‘Since it’s intermediate, it should last about an hour for every 6 resistance.’
With 103 resistance, that gives me about 17 hours of breathing underwater.
Of course, I don’t need such a rune to begin with, but for other hunters, it’s essential for entry into specific dungeons.
For example, the massive dungeon ‘Nando’ in Jeju Island requires this, as some sections are designed to be entirely underwater, so it’s crucial.
“Hehe— such good luck from the start. Already two runes!”
“Our party is blessed, right, Yeon-hee? Seriously, we need to keep this current member configuration. I’m not joking, bringing in someone else might just ruin this good vibe.”
“Really? Ah, that might be true.”
“But Joo-ah, last time with the Vision Guild’s Yeom Tae-seok, nothing really changed—”
“Anyway—! Shall we go!!”
Joo-ah was subtly emphasizing to maintain the current party membership while attempting to brainwash the others.
Since we still maintained a 1/n structure, it wouldn’t be favorable to bring anyone new in.
Moreover, the revenue from the mine was starting to flow in steadily now.
I’d been passively collecting a salary rivaling that of well-paid professionals, and thus didn’t wish to increase our numbers unnecessarily, hoping for similar fortune in the future.
Although Ah-rin was off-key trying to disrupt that flow, I personally had no complaints about continuing with this lineup.
Cha Jin-hyuk might join later, but I hoped he’d build his own power rather than joining our party.
‘The more centers of gravity during a great war, the better.’
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