episode_0077

Sizzle!

The unique mana inside the dungeon fluctuates.

The snail whistle rings, and a slight dizziness is felt.

Soon, the vast mana filling my entire body restores all symptoms.

[Entering the dungeon.]

[Entry conditions: None]

[The harsh ecosystem of the swamp threatens you.]

As I catch my breath slowly, Meonyangi, who was quickly scanning the surroundings, murmurs softly.

“So this is the famous .”

I pat her head and ponder about this place.

The .

A dungeon in the Gwanak Mountain field.

Gwanak Mountain itself is a place where various monsters gather, so it is a popular hunting ground for D~B rank hunters.

From the familiar to various subspecies of and .

Equipments drop frequently here, and even the appear quite often, attracting many hunters to gather resources.

And now, this place is not at the top of the popular Gwanak Mountain, but at the beginning of the dungeon.

For hunters, it was common knowledge that dungeons were more valuable than fields.

There could be rare boss appearances as a reward.

Apart from trials, there could be a jackpot like the emergence of a new dungeon within the dungeon, so many people aimed for this place.

In short, this place is always bustling with hunters.

“…That’s why I don’t understand.”

Moonbora mutters.

I also agreed with her words.

Why on earth would they close such a popular dungeon?

I asked Pangjina about this, but I couldn’t get a useful answer.

—I know well that it’s puzzling. Sorry, even I, a senior hunter, heard it from the chairman. And the chairman is also following the guidelines from the association, or more precisely, from the government, so I don’t know the details.

It’s an order that doesn’t make sense logically.

But whether we like it or not, we are currently half trainees and soldiers during the .

‘…As soldiers…’

We have to follow the orders from above.

“Yuseha!”

“Hmm?”

As I pondered deeply, Junayong, who came in with me, suddenly stood in front of me.

She smiles broadly and extends her fist.

I also smile and return the fist bump to her.

“Don’t get complacent just because you won. I’ll turn the tables this time!”

“Bring it on. I’ll give you my all.”

We both nodded at each other and turned our backs.

In this place, , there are a total of 5 regular routes.

Each of us chooses one and proceeds separately.

“Seha.”

“Miss Yuseha.”

“…Oh!”

Right now…

“We’re starting.”

* * *

Panting!

Huffing!

Rough breathing echoes.

Me, Meonyangi, Moonbora.

The three of us were moving forward as if running.

Just a few weeks ago, maintaining this speed would have been impossible.

What made it possible was the increase in basic stamina due to intense training.

‘…And the second reason is.’

Two abilities that increase movement speed were working together like gears, assisting each other.

[‘Agility’ is activated.]

[All movements receive slight adjustments.]

[‘Sprint’ is activated.]

[Your legs become the wind running through vast spaces.]

Indeed, a skill that increases movement speed.

Just having it was worth its weight in gold.

Of course, increasing the output here would make me run faster, but I maintained it at a moderate level so that Moonbora could keep up.

“Seha.”

“Yes?”

As we move forward, Moonbora, who is keeping up without falling behind, speaks up.

Thanks to the recent training that has added stamina, she shows enough composure to talk while running.

“I know you already know, but the victory condition here is who can defeat the boss first and close it.”

“So, it’s a time attack?”

“Yes.”

was a dungeon that was generally ranked in the lower C tier.

The monsters that appeared were ‘Giant Mosquitoes’, ‘Swamp Kaiman’, and so on.

It was filled with various swamp monsters commonly found in jungle areas that are usually thought of as swamps.

Despite being a C-tier dungeon, it was known for its high drop rates.

The density of monsters was high, with a large number of them appearing.

The first reason was the high amount of mana stones and the decent value of the drops.

The second reason was that it was a dungeon where the appearance of a was guaranteed.

“I heard that the mid-boss is a giant snake.”

“That’s right.”

The mid-boss that appeared was the .

It was a boss monster of the snake type boasting a C-tier.

It had incredibly slow speed but high durability and strong physical strength.

In terms of position, it was closer to a tank than a damage dealer.

In other words…

“It takes a long time to defeat it.”

“Yes, as you said, teams facing have a high chance of losing.”

On the other hand, teams that didn’t encounter it could pass the mid-boss to the opponent and head straight to the dungeon boss, making it much more advantageous.

This part honestly had to be left to luck.

Since it wasn’t a category where you could avoid damage with [Unprecedented Perception].

“Sehaya!”

That was the moment.

A word from the Meow that was running ahead changed the atmosphere.

Its soft, pointed ears stood up, warning of something approaching.

I also sensed something dark and ominous approaching at a fast pace beyond a thick tree.

“Can you tell what kind of enemies they are?”

“Just a moment…”

I asked Moonbora, knowing that she had a considerably high level of [Perception] ability.

I closed my eyes and focused on the forms and characteristics of the creatures.

A long and uniquely unpleasant appearance.

Rough buzzing sounds and giant insects the size of an adult torso.

Without a doubt, they were the ones.

“Giant Mosquitoes. Probably… about 5 of them?”

“They seem to be the easiest ones to deal with.”

Wheeeng!

Before I could finish speaking, an annoying sound filled the air.

A giant, dark red body the size of an adult thigh.

And a thick blood sac.

It was the typical enlarged form of a mosquito.

‘As expected, there are 5 of them.’

Flying with the rare skill [Swift Flight], the creatures soon stretched their bodies out and aimed their proboscises towards us.

The proboscis shone like a black blade, emitting a green magical energy at its tip.

And then, with a swoosh, it flew towards us like a spear.

The main attack method of the , and practically their only means of attack.

An uncommon attack skill.

[Black Venom Spray].

“Moonbora!”

“I know without you saying it.”

Moonbora had already prepared her magic long before I spoke.

She aimed her staff gun at the ground, not at the giant mosquitoes.

“[Ice Wall]!”

Crackling!

As she shouted, the moisture in the air froze, and a massive ice barrier spread out.

The approaching giant mosquitoes flinched, but it was already too late.

Thud!

The giant mosquitoes tried to plunge their proboscises into the ice wall, but they couldn’t pull them out, causing them to panic and flap their wings.

Their proboscises were frozen, leaving them unable to move.

“[Ice Hand]!”

Moonbora followed up with additional casting.

The sturdy ice barrier that blocked the attack of the giant mosquitoes twisted and transformed into what seemed like the hand of an ice giant.

It was the derived skill of the Hero rank [Frozen Earth], called [Ice Hand].

Although it had a short range, it was powerful, and it was used to lure and trap enemies for a quick defeat.

Crash!

The ice giant’s hand literally crushed five giant mosquitoes.

“As expected…”

Mosquitoes had to be crushed to death to be satisfying.

“Good job, Borabora!”

“…Haa, it’s not Borabora, it’s Yot!”

Thanks to Moon Borabora, the enemies were dealt with quickly and cleanly.

“Let’s finish them off!”

“Okay!”

“Yes.”

* * *

We were running for about 20 minutes in a hurry.

I raised my hand like lightning when I felt a tingling sensation.

“Stop.”

The world revealed through [Unparalleled Perception] was telling me that there were numerous significant threats ahead.

“…Sniff, it smells swampy. It seems to be a swamp.”

Listening to the words of the cat sniffing the air, I cut through the dense bushes with my sword.

The scenery that soon appeared was indeed a vast swamp, just as she had described.

Although it seemed quiet on the surface, maintaining [Unparalleled Perception], I could sense that there were quite a few creatures lurking within.

“I’ll go ahead.”

With those words, Moon Borabora stepped forward.

Whether she intended to freeze the entire swamp, the blue magical power began to intensify.

I raised my hand to stop her.

“Stop, Moon Borabora. This is not just an ordinary swamp; it’s a swamp infused with monster magic. It won’t freeze easily, and it will consume a lot of magical power.”

“…Then what should we do? Crossing like this is suicidal.”

Of course, it’s dangerous.

“Quickly, defeat them and move on.”

“…It will take quite some time…”

It’s okay.

We have our cute cat right next to us, ready to help.

I looked at our adorable cat.

As if waiting, she clenched her hands tightly.

Now was her time to shine.

“Cat, please.”

“Okay!”

Moon Borabora’s head tilted in confusion at her actions.

“…What?”

Oh, I forgot that Moon Borabora doesn’t know that the cat has a [Provocation] skill.

Since it’s come to this, I should surprise her.

“Just watch.”

“…?”

The cat stepped forward, holding her shield up and cautiously advancing step by step.

After a while, the creatures hidden in the swamp began to wriggle as if they had entered her range.

Using [Cat’s Intuition], the cat quickly assessed the situation.

“…Sniff, they’re coming! I’ll wait as long as possible before attacking!”

“I’ll leave it to your judgment!”

Bubble, bubble.

10 seconds later.

From the sticky swamp, crocodiles the size of adult men’s thighs emerged.

They looked like ordinary crocodiles, but the unique violent green magic emanating from them proved they were monsters.

.

They were not very strong, only D rank.

However, they tended to gather in groups, making them easy prey if you made a mistake.

But that wasn’t all.

Snakes the size of human arms with camouflage colors emerged beside the caymans.

Interestingly, their bodies were green, but their heads were purple.

, like the caymans, were also D rank monsters.

Although their attack power was not even E rank, as the name implied, they possessed the derivative skill [Toxic] and being poisoned by it was quite troublesome.

“…A total of 36.”

They were D rank, but the number was not insignificant.

As they approached from different directions, it was not easy to concentrate firepower on them.

But it was okay.

The cat, calmly measuring the distance towards the approaching enemies, raised her shield high as if signaling that now was the time.

Crash!

Lowering my shield, I shout with a powerful voice.

In response to her shout, a cute cat imbued with magic meows loudly, “Meow!”

“Meow! [Battle cry]!!!”