The pact document included a condition not to disclose this information to anyone.
If it’s a peculiar artifact that can be attached to nails to boost unique ability stats, even S-rank hunters would salivate over it.
Yeon-hee seemed to think that the condition I mentioned was a bit harsh for the companions, scratching her head, but the reactions from the teammates who heard the story were different.
“R-really?! You’re going to lend us an artifact?”
“Wow… Yeon-hee, I always thought you were a great person, but I didn’t expect this much.”
“We’re so grateful!”
“T-thank you…”
‘It would be even more touching to lend them the artifact.’
Even among companions, lending an artifact? In some ways, it might be harder than just giving it.
Yeon-hee beamed at her companions’ positive responses and said, “Everyone, try wearing it on your nails and let me know about the changes in your stats.”
“Yes!!”
The companions hurried over, cautiously bringing the artifacts to their nails in case they changed their minds.
Suddenly, the artifact flowed in and disappeared like magic.
“Wow, it’s so pretty. The decoration is really beautiful.”
“Is it a flower? It looks like a flower. So beautiful—”
It seems they appreciate it even more because it’s an accessory only visible to the wearer.
“I-I… my ‘Melody’ has increased by 100… incredible…”
Ham Eun-young was the first to react after putting on the artifact. Since she has her own unique stat called ‘Melody,’ she was probably even more delighted.
What surprised me more was the response from the other companions.
“U-uh, my unique ability didn’t increase, but I’ve connected weakly with the lightning god, ‘Auren’… W-what is this?”
‘…Hmm? Is it compensating for inability to increase the stat because I don’t have a unique ability? This might actually be better?’
So it’s that amazing of an artifact.
The fact that artifacts resonate with each other to reveal hidden abilities might be an even bigger deal than I thought.
And it wasn’t just Ah-rin who was connected to a divine being.
“I’ve strengthened the bond with ‘Perunox,’ whom I was already connected to… This is incredible!!”
Noh Ha-yoon was so surprised she nearly stepped back, as her connection with the deity was notoriously difficult to strengthen.
“I also… received power from ‘Ziphoct’… This is really amazing… Ah…”
Even Bae Joo-ah, floating slightly off the ground, mumbled something incomprehensible while gazing into the air.
‘Whoa… I gained unexpected benefits. But if I take off the artifact, do I go back to normal?’
“Uh, if we take off the artifact, does the bond with the deity revert to what it was?”
Yeon-hee returned my question, and with the exception of Joo-ah, who was still getting used to it, Ha-yoon and Ah-rin took off the artifacts and waited a moment.
“Hmm… no particular messages popping up. It feels like the tingling sensation is fading away, but I’m not sure.”
“Auren didn’t say anything unusual either.”
‘That’s a relief. Then if we circulate this among several people, can we increase the bond with the deity in the same way?’
If that works, it could enhance the power of the hunters, even if just a little.
‘Hmm—there’s a lot to test.’
We spent more time in the hidden space, accepting the changes.
I finished my exploration and replenished the used Skeleton Bombs while watching my companions meditating on the bed.
The companions who had unintentionally grown were satisfied, but the happiest one was actually Yeon-hee.
“Hehe… Hehe…”
Yeon-hee has a unique stat called ‘Dominance,’ which is essential when facing powerful enemies.
“Il-wol…”
“Tap…?”
“Even if a great beast comes, I don’t think my summoned creatures will run away.”
“Clap, Clap, Clap!!”
Yeon-hee had been deeply shocked when her summoned creatures fled in panic from the great beast, ‘Debsorpia,’ but with a 100-point increase in dominance, it was clear she had gained something different.
‘I don’t particularly feel anything. I wonder why?’
Since I never froze up when encountering great beasts, it could be that I just don’t feel the change.
‘Whatever. I’ll encounter the great beast soon enough. I’ll find out then.’
With the recent news, it was clear that the expedition to subdue the great beast, ‘Devouring Creeper,’ which was infesting above, would be advanced significantly.
‘If only I had a little more time, I could make a much bigger impact. Then I could gather a lot of byproducts too.’
It’s a shame, but we can’t overcome the rapidly changing tides of the world.
“Whoa—should we get going soon?”
After Bae Joo-ah, who had the most to pack, finally came to her senses, Ah-rin, the party leader, signaled departure.
I stuffed all the ancient items in the hidden space into my pocket dimension, just in case.
“Wow—this is like a vacuum cleaner.”
“Is it a truly unlimited pocket dimension?”
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
“I’m so envious.”
As we descended underground, we first noticed that the number of the ‘Vigil’ herd that had been following us since we first entered this dungeon had surged past 200.
“How did they make it all the way down here? There must be another route besides the stairs.”
Of course, I knew where that route was.
But it was too narrow for us to use. Even using the newly gained weasel movement ability would be too much.
“We’re going to have to face off with them soon. I hope they come at us quickly.”
“I want to test my new power soon!!”
With their stats upgraded and renewed confidence from the new artifact, the companions were brimming with enthusiasm.
Indeed, our dungeon exploration was going smoothly.
While other parties faced orc hordes that took over an hour, we sometimes broke through in under 10 minutes.
Including the time for maintenance after each battle, the gap between us and other parties widened even more.
‘Since we’re not getting hurt, our magic pools are large, and our magic recovery is quick, we can move immediately after battle.’
There’s a reason we were rapidly growing.
And the power of the artifact played a significant role in that.
One hour of travel later.
Contrary to my companions’ expectations, there weren’t many monsters swarming us, and even the ‘Vigil’ herd had scattered off elsewhere.
“Il-wol, maybe it’s best to go stealth.”
In the end, I hid my presence.
It was even harder to encounter monsters after descending underground.
When I layered ‘Stealth’ with ‘Darkness Requiem,’ effectively hiding my presence, the monster spawn returned to normal.
The companions enjoyed battles as they had wanted, and ultimately,
“Ugh—Ugh—I’m exhausted. Shall we take a short break?”
“I fully agree.”
After thirteen battles in three hours, my companions were exhausted. There had even been quite dangerous moments with the last ‘Vigil’ swarm, so it was indeed time for a break.
“Il-wol, can you lift the stealth?”
“Tap…”
Having become the inhibitor of the group, I focused on dismantling monsters at a distance.
After thirteen battles, we had taken down over 800 monsters.
The companions wanted to help with the dismantling, but I refused.
For me, every one of these was a precious resource, so it was more comfortable for me to handle it with my summoned creatures rather than have unskilled hands messing with it.
The early summoned creatures, including orcs, lizardmen, and Ddung-i, had become experts at dismantling, so I could trust them with the work.
“Beee—!”
“Clap, Clap.”
‘Gori’ seemed eager to help, fluttering around, while Azra watched from a distance with interest.
Just as I finished up the work and was moving,
Two cracks appeared in the area of my senses.
I was reminded of the time I met the ogre and tensed up, but what emerged from the new gate were ordinary goblins I had seen in F-ranked dungeons.
‘Not all strong guys come out, huh?’
Aside from the Earth Puppy, they were fighting for the title of the weakest alongside slimes, so upon exiting the gate, they met their demise by getting gored by the ‘Pierce Big Boar’s’ horn.
‘Tsk, tsk, they really are unlucky.’
Aside from the appearance of goblins, we faced no events and arrived at the area with the boss battle smoothly.
“Oh dear, they’ve already cleared out.”
Though we hurried, we had already far exceeded dinner time, and all the Hunter Management Bureau employees managing the boss battle had already clocked out.
Once the ones with the administrator’s badge leave, the area where the boss appears is sealed off, so we had to decide whether to spend the night in the dungeon or head straight to the exit.
We should have done that, but…
“Why isn’t it sealing?”
The dungeon’s boss monsters still remained, glaring at the hunters from within the barrier.
It was a boss monster, larger and with much sharper eyes than the ordinary ‘Vigil.’
With the size of a Siberian tiger, its front claws reflected the light with 50cm-long sharp tips glistening.
‘If I get slashed by those claws, losing limbs would be the least of my worries.’
Moreover, goblins continually streamed in from the tunnel behind the boss, and it wouldn’t stop until the boss was defeated.
– So we’re just fighting it out, huh?
– What if the barrier suddenly gets cut off during the fight? We’d need at least 100 people to take it down.
– Ah, I think I’ll just wait for an administrator to show up and then go for it. I’m going first!
– Are you scared?
– No, I’m not scared; I just can’t handle the unpredictability!
– Isn’t that boss a different color from the usual Vigil?
– Now that you mention it, good point. Is it a mutant of the Vigil?
– If that’s the case, better rewards could be expected, right?
– But the risk would increase, too.
Other hunters, noticing the odd phenomenon, were deep in thought.
The minimum number of participants for this boss battle is 75.
However, due to its high difficulty, usually around 100 participate in the subjugation.
Even though it was late, about 200 hunters were hesitating and deliberating. Particularly since this was a mutant stronger than the usual bosses.
Arriving late on the scene, we sensed the unusual atmosphere and waited a moment, at which point other hunters’ eyes turned towards us.
– “It’s the White Alliance…”
– “If we teamed up with them, it might be doable, right?”
– “For sure. If we take the plunge, I want to be part of it.”
Overhearing others’ conversations, Yeon-hee’s lips twitched.
“Um, should we try to break the ice first?”
Unable to stand the eager gazes, Yeon-hee suggested we take the first step.
For me, who had nothing to fear, it was a welcome proposal.
No, I had to participate.
Because what I saw with my own eyes was not all there was.
‘There’s another one lurking down below…’
It was even hiding its presence while waiting for hunters to enter.
I informed my companions of this, and Ah-rin quickly pressed her ear to the ground.
“Wow… it’s real. I can feel it breathing.”
Once Ah-rin confirmed, a look of worry spread across the faces of the companions.
“Two boss-level Vigil monsters… All the people here have to engage in battle.”
“Iil-wol mentioned there might be two more tunnels.”
“Hmph! They’re just weasels. Testing our new abilities would be perfect!”
“I’ll hold off the two boss-level ones with my summoned creatures…”
“Then it sounds doable.”
“But if there are two tunnels, it won’t be easy. At least a thousand of them could rush us.”
“Ah-rin, can you spread the word to the others? Let’s ensure no one blindly follows us.”
“Sure!”
“Is there a chance there will be considerable chaos?”
“That might be possible.”
‘It’ll be fine.’
Ah-rin skillfully stepped forward to relay the information to the other hunters.
Yet even with the mention of an additional monster, the hunters were not overly agitated.
‘They probably think we’re a competent team that can handle this level of information, so they trust us more.’
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