Chapter 9 – The First Dungeon

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Most players never take unnecessary risks. When hunting monsters, they always maintain a situation where they outnumber the enemy, and they choose monsters weaker than their party’s overall strength.

They have no choice. If they get hurt, they feel real pain. If they lose too much blood, dizziness sets in, making it hard to move. On top of that, the pressure monsters exude is no different from reality, so players naturally become more cautious.

And perhaps the biggest reason players hesitate is the fear of death.

In RPGs, death is common, but this place is different. Here, death is final. Some say that if you die, you might return to reality, but no one has ever proven that.

Life is precious. It’s only natural to value your own life. That’s why players naturally become more cautious.

In that sense, Neukmam’s playstyle is quite unique. A high-level warrior who hunts day and night. Gathering information about Neukmam was easy.

1. A playstyle that constantly tests his limits.
2. Feels like he has more than one life.
3. Lives in this world as if it’s a game.
4. Ugly, so people dislike him.
5. Feels like walking a tightrope. Hunting with him is exhausting.
6. His skills are top-tier, but his safety is the worst.
7. Not a bad person, but people don’t want to get close. Being with him makes it hard to interact with NPCs.
8. Gets upset if you frown at his appearance.
9. Too scary-looking to want to party with.
10. Had nightmares after hunting with him once.

Most opinions were similar. If his appearance were normal, he probably wouldn’t be avoided like this.

I cautiously brought up the topic to Isolin, who had now become a fixed party member.

“Hey, Isolin.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know someone named Neukmam?”

“Ah, that purple ghost?”

“Yeah.”

“Of course. How could I not? But why? You’re not suggesting we add him to our party, are you?”

The small girl placed her hands on her hips and glared at me. Her pink twin tails swayed, revealing her discomfort.

It seemed Isolin didn’t want to party with Neukmam. I quickly added,

“No, no. I was just wondering if you knew him. You never know, we might end up partying with him later.”

“Hmm. That won’t happen. Absolutely not.”

Isolin shook her head firmly. After a brief pause, she spoke again.

“Someone who customizes their character and nickname like that can’t be normal. If this world were just a regular RPG, he’d probably be one of those toxic players, you know?”

Isolin was confident. It sounded like she’d experienced this kind of thing before.

Having played many RPGs, I understood what she meant.

“Hmm…”

“Supreme, there are plenty of warriors around. No need to insist on him, right?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

I buried the thought of Neukmam, or rather, Han Chanseong, deep in my mind.

Life in Foxtail was uneventful. Every morning, I’d head to the bulletin board to pick up quests and go out hunting with the party. After hunting, we’d return to the village before sunset to evenly distribute the loot, marking the end of the day’s work.

After that, we’d turn in quest items or restock potions and other supplies as the sun set.

It was a repetitive routine, but it wasn’t boring. Watching my character’s stats grow and seeing the gold pile up in my inventory brought small joys.

About a week had passed since arriving in Foxtail. My level had risen significantly, reaching level 9, and my gold reserves had grown to a hefty 10,000 gold.

(tl: hefty = large, big, bulky)

Of course, to me, this felt like a fortune, but I knew that in the future, this would seem like pocket change.

The minimum amount needed to buy a personal home was 2 million gold. Considering the maintenance costs after purchasing a house, my current earnings were far from enough.

That’s why I had to work even harder.

“Hah!”

With a determined shout, I sprang out of bed. The clock in the upper right corner of my vision, visible only to players, showed it was already 7 AM. No time to waste.

After a quick stretch, I geared up and rushed out of the inn. Breakfast was a sandwich I bought from the inn, eaten on the go.

Arriving at the guild board, I picked up the “Red Fox Extermination” and “Fox Pelt Delivery” quests, then headed to the fountain square, our usual meeting spot.

Soon, Isolin, the shortest party leader ever exist, would appear, her pink twin tails swaying gracefully.

“Supreme!”

Just like that.

Turning at the sound of my name, I saw Isolin running toward me, her face flushed.

Clop-clop—

Her gray pointed hat no longer had holes. The large staff she carried now had a gem at its tip, and her robe was adorned with mysterious runes, giving her a proper mage-like appearance.

Her gear had changed. It seemed she’d gone shopping after reaching level 10. I squinted and asked,

“You changed your gear?”

“Ah, yeah. You noticed right away?”

Isolin smiled brightly in response. She lifted the hem of her robe slightly to show off her hidden feet.

“I got new shoes too. What do you think?”

“Oh…”

Her small, delicate feet were now clad in dark blue leather shoes with runes engraved on them. The tips of the shoes curled inward slightly.

“Cute, right?”

Indeed, they were cute. Especially the glimpse of her pale ankles.

As I nodded and looked up, Isolin’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“Hey, have you heard the news?”

“What news?”

“About the dungeon that was discovered.”

“Dungeon…?”

Dungeons. A common feature in RPGs. You form a party, enter an instanced map, hunt monsters and bosses, and obtain equipment and materials you can’t get elsewhere.

If this were a regular RPG, I’d have rushed to the dungeon the moment I heard about it.

The problem was the dungeon’s difficulty. Typically, dungeon monsters are stronger than those in the open world.

This world follows the basic settings of an RPG. So, the monsters in the dungeon would undoubtedly be quite strong.

“You hadn’t heard, huh?”

“No. This is the first I’m hearing about it.”

Isolin sat on the large fountain, swinging her short legs as she began to spill details about the dungeon. I wasn’t sure where she’d heard it, but the information was quite detailed.

“The dungeon’s name is Goblin Village. As the name suggests, the monsters are green-skinned dwarves—goblins.”

“What level are they?”

“The goblins there are usually levels 7 to 9. Occasionally, elite monsters like ‘Goblin Warriors’ or ‘Goblin Shamans’ appear, and they’re level 10.”

“Hmm…”

I was level 9, and Isolin was level 11. If we could find high-level warriors to tank, it seemed doable. Of course, this was just based on levels. The dungeon’s environment, monster behavior, and their habits could change the outcome.

“What about the boss?”

“The boss is a level 14 ‘Goblin Lord’ He wields a massive greatsword.”

“That’s pretty detailed. Did someone already clear it?”

“Yeah. A friend of mine told me. She said a party with an average level of 12 should be able to clear it.”

“Any close calls?”

“Once? But that was because of a sudden ambush by roamers. She said if you advance slowly, it’s manageable.”

“Hmm…”

From Isolin’s explanation, the dungeon seemed doable. Since it was the first dungeon discovered, it probably wasn’t set to be too difficult.

Still, I couldn’t help but hesitate.

“Let’s wait until tonight. We should hear more experiences from other parties.”

“Yeah. That sounds good.”

No need to rush. The most important thing is life, after all. Even if we wait until more information and strategies are available, the rewards won’t change.

“Then shall we go hunt some foxes today?”

“I think we’re ready to hunt near the vineyard now… I heard the grapes you can gather there are really sweet and delicious.”

“Grapes…”

I began to weigh the strength of the bears against our party’s strength. A week ago, I wouldn’t have hesitated to reject Isolin’s suggestion, but now it was different.

Gulp—

I had grown stronger. And so had Isolin. Our temporary party members, Zeblin and Palm Tree, were the same.

“Alright!”

Isolin and I dashed toward the village entrance, licking our lips in anticipation.

-Clop-clop—

Vrslop_translator