episode_0024

“Th-this, this can’t be the ‘Trial,’ can it?”

I approached quietly, closing the gaping mouth of Meonyangi, whose jaw seemed ready to drop.

Might as well touch those plump cheeks while I’m at it.

“M-Meow. Don’t touch me. A-anyway, is this really the Trial?”

“That’s right. And essentially, it’s the first discovery.”

“O-oh my goodness!”

Hmm, is that how it goes? Probably because I’m the guide.

“Trial.”

A flow from another world found in dungeons inside gates.

Commonly known as dungeons within dungeons, a kind of instant dungeon.

“Let’s check the status for now.”

As I placed my hand on the dimensional portal, the blue light swirling around turned red.

[First discovery of the Garden of Tojuwon.]

[A type of Trial.]

[Discoverer: Yoo Seha, granted priority in conquering the Trial by Mahanam.]

With a ringing sound, golden tickets appeared on mine and Meonyangi’s wrists like rings.

Oddly enough, a turtle’s head was depicted on them… probably because of that guy, Tojuwon.

“I-I can’t believe it… T-this is really… an undiscovered Trial? A-and with priority!?”

“Priority.”

A concept of a special system that comes into play when there are no discoverers, like the current Trial in front of us.

Having priority means being given the opportunity to enter and challenge first.

At the same time, others without priority are blocked from entering. Of course, this blockade isn’t permanent; after a certain period, it naturally disappears, making it open to conquest again.

“…Even if luckily discovered, the levels are often too high, leading to many selling their priority…”

I’ve heard that just selling it starts at a minimum of 50 million won.

Places rich in resources or materials can go up to tens of billions, making it practically a gold mine.

[Garden of Tojuwon access is blocked. No one can enter the Trial without your permission.]

[Upon successful conquest, the Trial will be ‘bound’ to both of you.]

And the core of priority is precisely ‘binding.’

Once you succeed in conquering, you are bound to that place.

From that moment, it’s practically your exclusive backyard.

I knew this much, so I accepted it, but what followed left me astonished.

“The entry requirement is two ‘pure’ Strikers. You meet the conditions.”

“After clearing, the Trial’s boss and rewards will change. Please be cautious.”

“As an initial discovery reward, each party member’s holiness increases by 1.”

Wait, what?

Wasn’t it called ‘holiness’ just now?

“Oh, so the first discoverer gets an additional ‘holiness.’ Now I get it.”

‘Holiness’ has overwhelmingly high rarity compared to other remaining attributes in terms of performance and efficiency.

It’s a rare one where even after running the dungeon hundreds of times, it might not increase by 1.

The reason being the opportunity to meet NPCs holding various positions of absolute authority called “Gods.”

“And you can also learn skills from the divine lineage.”

In reality, the best reason was reputation.

This world is dominated by powerful church groups called ‘Gosra.’

To enter this group, your holiness must be above 1, and once it is, they treat you well, calling you ‘brother’ or ‘sister.’

“This opens up many more choices for the future.”

Perhaps due to the sudden stroke of luck, my mind was in a whirl, and my plans didn’t unfold smoothly.

Well, good things are good.

Deciding to ponder slowly, I reaffirmed my decision.

While this world is indeed the “Gonnis Archive Life” I know, the known information is scarce, almost at the level of early-game knowledge.

“Well, it’s only natural. There shouldn’t be any guides besides me.”

This place is considered one of the easiest trials even within the community.

With just two pure-hearted conditions, it’s nothing more than a stroll through the recently passed Dreaming Forest.

In reality, within an hour of the update, the first discoverer received an exclusive reward (+1 Sacred) from the GM, and everyone visited the place as if it were a routine meal following the guide posted by that person.

Thus, it was the day I first went to register with the guild.

Naturally, I assumed this place would be already conquered.

‘…But it wasn’t.’

The thought of ‘Why?’ was quickly understood.

The condition of being pure-hearted is literally synonymous with being a novice.

Unless it’s a game.

In reality, there wouldn’t be novices wandering around the “Unexplored” zone risking their lives without knowing even the path through the forest.

That’s probably why it hadn’t been discovered.

“Meonyang. Let’s enter slowly. We might get lost at this rate…”

I couldn’t finish my sentence.

Meonyang was frozen like a statue with the status window open.

When I tapped his shoulder in confusion, he collapsed with a ‘thud.’

Is this guy crazy?

“Me, Meonyang!”

“…In sanity, magic, trial, priority, even Sacred… really? Really…? A dropout like me… experiencing this kind of luck? Is this a dream? It must be a dream. It has to be a dream.”

“Meonyang, snap out of it! You can’t be this shocked over this! I’ll give you more bus rides!”

“…Yeah, sorry, Dad. I think I’m dead. This must be heaven. Yeah. I’ll be leaving soon.”

“Meonyang! If you don’t get up, I’ll tickle your belly and tail until you surrender!”

…

Well, it’s more serious than I thought.

Can’t be helped.

“Shall we take a little break before going in?”

During that time, I should keep petting our Meonyang.

—

“…I still can’t believe it. That I could see something this precious with my own eyes…”

Meonyang, now composed, touched various dimensional portals, his voice filled with emotion.

I was curious at this point.

“Is it really that precious?”

“Naturally!”

Jumping up at my question, Meonyang purred.

I watched his typical cat behavior with amusement and continued speaking.

“Aren’t there more places like this besides here? I’ve seen in newspapers or news that undiscovered dungeons often appear in the ‘Field.’”

“No. Listen! The ‘Trials’ are much rarer than dungeons! Both the rarity of the appearing monsters and the rewards are on a different level! That’s why. The number of Trials known worldwide isn’t that many.”

“How many are there?”

“As far as I know, there are only about 30 publicly disclosed in the country. Of course, considering that not all large [Clans] have revealed them, it’s probably even fewer, but even taking that into account, it won’t be over 50.”

“That’s quite few.”

Even combined, it’s only that number.

I am a veteran of “Gosla,” also a professional broadcaster.

Based on the latest updates for maximizing views, I know almost all the information.

“Just recalling the Trials I remember, there are about 70.”

If you add in things like and hidden extras, it might be tough but possible.

Finishing the main story with a happy ending without using premium items.

Of course, there’s a crucial core element.

I patted Meonyang, who was running around.

“…Meow. S-sorry, it’s embarrassing.”

“…Hehe.”

“Meow!”

Helping the characters I want to protect and providing them with the ending they desire.

That’s the most important role for me as a guide.

—

We stepped into the dimensional portal.

“[Entering Toguwon’s Garden (B) for the first time.]”

“The vigilant guardian of the fruits reacts sensitively to the dirty intruders’ footsteps.”

“A chilling energy spreads. During the Trial, all party members’ stats decrease by 1.”

“Sacred values are exempted.”

“Ugh, feeling drained.”

As we entered, Meonyang groaned at the stat decrease.

Hmm, indeed… even though it’s just a mere 1-point reduction, the energy feels lacking.

Silverback’s “Land Selection” was like that, and the power of the ‘debuff’ types was unexpectedly strong.

First, I increased the intensity of [Unprecedented Perception].

Zzing―!

Just like when I first used the skill, a bright flame blazed up.

Despite the sudden influx of information and pressure making cold sweat trickle down my forehead, I remained unfazed.

“I need to locate where it is.”

The probability is low, but it could be in an unexpected place.

Before long, deep within the lake, I detected the red eyes watching us from there.

Simultaneously, I was certain it was the target due to its massive size.

“Wow, Sehaya, look at that.”

Munyang, who had been looking around, exclaimed in admiration.

In front of us lay a beautifully adorned forest.

And in the center, there was an emerald-colored lake.

Against the picturesque scenery, Munyang’s tail swayed gently.

“…Indeed, dungeons are magnificent.”

“Hunter. It was wise not to give up, right?”

Slightly surprised by my question, Munyang looked at me and nodded with a bashful smile.

“But Sehaya, where is the monster? I can’t sense it no matter how hard I try.”

She also maximized [Cat’s Intuition] and focused her senses on the surroundings.

It seems she is worried due to the complete lack of any detection.

I understand.

Not even ordinary beasts are visible, let alone monsters.

“There’s nothing in the forest.”

“…Huh? Then?”

Smiling slyly, I pointed not at the forest but at the lake.

More precisely, inside it.

After staring blankly for about 2 seconds, Munyang’s eyes widened.

Through parted lips, a cute scream of “Meow~” escaped before she regained her composure and grabbed me.

“S-Sehaya. This is crazy! Neither of us has [Underwater Breathing]! Even for minor mobs, underwater-”

“-It’s not a minor mob. Didn’t it come from the message? It’s a boss rush room.”

“A boss rush.”

Unlike dungeons teeming with traps and minor mobs, this was a clean dungeon structure where only bosses appeared.

As all the focus was on the boss, its specs were relatively high compared to the difficulty level.

“…Uh…this, this can’t be. Water…and a boss?”

Munyang’s complexion turned pale.

Well, it’s a natural reaction.

Hunters are fundamentally superhuman, but that doesn’t mean they’re immune to environmental influences.

Among them, underwater battles are truly hellish.

But that’s a story for fighting in water.

“We don’t have to fight him in his home turf.”

“…Eh?”

I grinned and showed her the vial hanging from my waist.

A vial containing the venom and saliva of goblins we hunted on our way here.

I added some normal-grade acidic liquid bought from Im Hyeja and shook it around like a bartender.

Shortly after, the venom subtly changed.

I poured it into the lake.

As the pungent smell spread, Munyang, who had been watching from behind, recoiled with a grimace.

“M-Meow…Sehaya. Did you learn alchemy by any chance?”

That’s highly unlikely.

Making simple potions falls under the domain of the class.

What I just concocted was an item discovered by other seasoned guides through various experiments, meant for aggro increase.

Systematically, it’s an item without a proper name.

It emitted a foul odor just now, especially potent in the water.

This will shatter the cool judgment of the boss inside and ignite fiery rage.

Kugugu―!

‘The tiger does come when called.’

In less than 5 seconds, the creature reacted.

The once serene, beautiful emerald lake began to tremble with fury.

Bubbling foam rose and burst forth, carrying a dense magical aura that brushed against us.

Chilling―!

“S-Sehaya…”

Munyang, faced with a residue of magic unlike anything encountered before, turned pale with fear.

I looked at her and tightly gripped her hand.

“Don’t worry. Meow. It’s you, chosen by none other than me. Believe in yourself.”

You can do it.

“…Yes.”

“Meow. I’ll brief you now. Listen carefully.”

I looked at the rising foam little by little and told her what she should do.

Meow listened silently.

She seemed slightly surprised but soon nodded as our eyes met.

The order I gave was simple.

Yet, it was also the most crucial.

The clearing of [Toujuwon Garden] depended on her hands.

*

A moment later.

With a rough rumble, a stream of water surged up like a waterfall.

Before us stood a giant tree that must have been at least 10 meters tall.

Interestingly, it had a pouch-like bulge on its neck, with shiny beads dangling inside.

[The Guardian of Trials expresses great anger towards the intruders who have polluted the waters.]

[Garden Boss. Toujuwon (B+) appears.]

Toujuwon roamed around, filled with rage, as if grasping the surroundings.

In his eyes, a petite girl with determination dropped a large shield to the ground with a thud.

“…Come on, bring it on!”

“Grrrr!”

It was a moment when the girl, prepared for anything, faced off against the boss.