Chapter 7 : Boss Monster

“Are you ready?”

Han Jihyuk asked.

“Yes.”

Doyoon answered spiritedly, gripping his shield and two-handed sword tightly.

When it came to clearing stages, these worn-out pieces of equipment were no different from his lifeline.

Doyoon thought so and braced himself.

After walking a certain distance with the party, a strangely translucent membrane began to appear.

“Monsters will start appearing beyond that, so be careful.”

Cho Harin explained briefly.

“Understood.”

[Will you enter the stage?]

As he reached out and touched the membrane with his shield, a status window popped up.

Doyoon immediately responded and pushed his entire body beyond the membrane.

His body passed through with a strange sense of resistance.

After that, the same world as before greeted him.

However–

“Doyoon, do you see that?”

Turning his gaze at Han Jihyuk’s point, he could see something very peculiar.

-Boing. Thump.

Something in a liquid state, bouncing resiliently with a smooth surface.

“A slime?”

“It looks exactly like something from a game, right?”

As if expecting that reaction, Han Jihyuk said with a smile.

It was information he knew thanks to the gallery’s help.

[Title: Read this before you go]

[Nickname: PaperLover*]

[(Slime photo)]

[- The 1st floor stage will probably be tutorial-level difficulty, but just in case ㅇㅇ]

[- The monsters in that field are lesser slime types, like in the pic above.]

[- They bounce around and look cute, but if you touch them carelessly, you might melt, so be careful;]

[- They have high viscosity, so they’re weak to sudden impacts.]

[- Rather than cutting them with a sword, hit them with a shield or your foot to weaken them.]

[ㄴ Me) Oh, thanks for the info.]

[ㄴ PaperLover*) Just letting you know so you don’t die in some weird place ㅇㅇ]

[ㄴ Tsundere lol]

[ㄴ AgedWine*) Woo woo… My job has been taken away…]

[ㄴ ???: I liked him first…!]

[ㄴ Uh oh]

[ㄴ Oh, hot]

[ㄴ What’s hot, you crazy b*stard]

[ㄴ Sirs, please;]

Doyoon engraved the information in his mind and stared at the slime.

The field monsters were still bouncing around, diligently making their presence known.

“Do you see any other Hunters around?”

“No. It seems a bit quiet today.”

At those words, Doyoon’s gaze naturally turned towards them.

“Are Hunters usually seen often?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Since it’s an area where people from other worlds also participate.”

‘Is this what they call Hunter saturation?’

It seemed he needed to be even more careful.

Normally, it would be natural to always stick with comrades, but shouldn’t one also be wary of unexpected situations?

“First, do you want to try facing the slime in front of you?”

“Yes.”

Doyoon immediately headed towards the slime that was bouncing alone.

It had no eyes, but perhaps it had similar sensory organs, as its presumed front turned towards Doyoon.

‘First strike wins.’

Doyoon, following the advice, raised his shield instead of his sword and swung it at the slime.

-Thwack!

The knee-high slime was directly hit by the shield and flew far away with a satisfying impact.

Trembling and unable to make its next move, it seemed the attack had landed properly.

A sound of admiration came from behind, but Doyoon paid no mind and approached the incapacitated slime.

Inside its jiggly body.

A small, sphere-shaped object caught his eye.

‘The slime’s core.’

After setting his target, Doyoon immediately aimed the tip of his sword.

After that.

-Stab.

He cleanly pierced the core, killing the slime.

The slime, its core destroyed, writhed violently once, then turned black and seeped into the ground.

[You have defeated a ‘Slime’!]

[You have gained experience points.]

-Shaaa…

An inexplicable sense of elation filled his body, and a refreshing feeling began to set in.

“…Mr. Doyoon.”

Turning his head at the familiar voice, he saw Cho Harin with a bewildered expression.

“Is this really your first time fighting?”

“Yes?”

“No, I mean, finding and destroying the slime’s core right away. It was so natural.”

“That was really amazing…!”

Beside Cho Harin, Jung Ahyun jumped up and down in admiration.

‘Is that so?’

Perhaps because he started already knowing the method, it wasn’t very difficult.

Thanks to his magic resistance, his mind was sound, and thanks to the gallery’s information, he knew how to deal with the monster.

It would be hard to be in such perfect condition.

Doyoon felt a sense of gratitude welling up from deep within his heart and looked at the Hunters.

“Should I continue hunting them?”

“Yes. Did you get experience points?”

“It popped up on the status window earlier.”

“Okay, then. Let’s try to catch about three more.”

“Yep.”

Immediately accepting Cho Harin’s suggestion, Doyoon walked towards his next prey.

And his colleagues stared blankly at his retreating figure.

“Harin. Is this right?”

-Thwack!

No sooner were the words spoken than the second slime was slammed down.

Doyoon wasn’t hunting.

That was butchery.

The kind of butchery where one takes a designated prey and ends its life with maximum efficiency.

“…It doesn’t make sense.”

It was his first time.

It was definitely his first experience.

But he felt no burden entering the Tower for the first time.

And wasn’t he skillfully handling combat with a monster he’d never seen before?

“Didn’t our Ahyun throw up and make a fuss when she first came?”

“Aah! Why are you bringing that up!!”

Jung Ahyun, disgusted, smacked Han Jihyuk’s back repeatedly.

She was the team’s youngest member who had joined just before Doyoon.

Not anymore, though.

Not just Jung Ahyun, but all the other Hunters had similar reactions.

No matter how much they had indirectly experienced the Tower’s internal situation through the simulation room, it was on a different

dimension compared to the real thing.

In contrast, that man, Kim Doyoon, started acting more proactively after entering the Tower.

‘…Just what.’

The Tower’s burden wasn’t something that ended in an instant.

Breathing, moving, witnessing monsters, and attacking them.

In every action within the Tower, the Tower’s burden continuously gnawed at a Hunter’s psyche.

Cho Harin quietly watched Kim Doyoon’s performance.

“…At this rate, he could go straight to the boss room.”“I agree. Killing the boss mob will level him up faster than hitting trash mobs here.”

Level.

One of the indispensable elements for a Hunter.

Their average level was in the 30s.

Having a decent amount of experience rolling in the Tower, they possessed significantly higher levels than Doyoon.

“How on earth does he know the slime’s weakness?”

“Isn’t that also thanks to that skill… the ‘Helper’?”

“Probably.”

“I was skeptical at first, but it’s truly amazing.”

Not only does it assist in acquiring magic resistance skills, but it also provides combat information.

What kind of ability was this, anyway?

“…He might catch up to us much faster than we expect.”

“Somehow, I think so too.”

“Eh, come on… Even so.”

“I agree. What if we rashly push him based on our current judgment and he ends up dying?”

Jung Ahyun and Cha Yoonha each expressed their concerns.

“It’s certainly too early to judge now.”

But the performance he had shown so far was too impactful.

Could this simply be dismissed as a coincidence?

“I’ve caught them all!”

Doyoon, having dealt with a total of three slimes, returned to them.

“Good work.”

After giving an awkward smile to Cho Harin who said that, he asked about the next step.

“What should we do now?”

“Our original purpose was to assess Mr. Doyoon’s overall combat power and to clear the 1st floor.”

Their gazes naturally turned towards the forest, into its depths.

“Shall we try to take on the boss mob now?”

“Sounds good.”

Look at this.

Normally, one would hesitate at the suggestion of fighting a stronger monster.

But Doyoon’s eyes were sparkling even more, as if he had been waiting for those very words.

‘Just what is this person?’

The emotions of the Hunters who saw him were unanimous.

A sense of unfamiliarity, as if looking at something unknown.

Doyoon, just how far did this man’s potential extend?While harboring such questions, they, as seniors, skillfully began to clear the path.

[(Me) Title: Slimes are f*cking easy lol]

[- Sorry, I baited you to show you this….]

[(Photo of a hand holding a shield and making a V sign)]

[- Is the Bob-gallery’s info level for real? My heart is truly swelling with pride.]

[- Just like you said, I started by hitting them, and the slimes couldn’t do anything?]

[- I cleaned them up right away ㅇㅇ]

[ㄴ lololol You’re excited]

[ㄴ You’re not hurt anywhere?]

[ㄴ Me)  Perfectly fine]

[ㄴ That’s a relief]

[ㄴ AgedWine*) Hoeee…! Newbie-jjang is cool…!]

[ㄴ Is this real or a flex?]

[ㄴ You think it’s genuine admiration? lol]

[ㄴ As if lololol]

[ㄴ Me) ;]

[(Me) Title: Anyway, going to catch the 1st floor boss now ㅇㅇ]

[- Just like how I dealt with them before, hit it hard once first]

[- If it’s stunned, hit the core]

[- Right?]

[ㄴ Exactly]

[ㄴ Ah, seeing him obediently follow our words, why am I reacting like this]

[ㄴ ?]

[ㄴ Mod, kill this bstard]

[ㄴ PaperLover) Taken care of]

[ㄴ But honestly, compared to other Hunter b*stards, he’s an angel]

[ㄴ Hey, you punk, the comparison itself is rude]

[ㄴ Newbie, sorry;]

‘What on earth is the perception of Hunters here?’

What exactly did they go through to hate other Hunters so much?

[Title: Anyway, let’s clear the floor quickly]

[- Grow up fast and level up]

[- And then help prevent my ejection too]

[ㄴ Isn’t it too early for that?]

[ㄴ Me) Ah seriously, what the hell is ejection?]

[ㄴ Ejection is, you see…]

[ㄴ Me) Sh*t, here we go again]

This came up once before.

The true purpose of this gallery is to prevent ejection and share various tips about it.

What kind of purpose do these people have for using this gallery?

[Title: Isn’t it about time you knew?]

[Nickname: PaperLover*]

[- Meeting like this is a miracle]

[- The newbie should know what needs to be known ㅇㅇ]

[- But for now, finish what you were doing]

[ㄴ Me) OK, going to kick Great Slime’s ass]

[ㄴ Great Slime: Means King Slime]

[ㄴ Thanks for the useful info~]

[ㄴ Newbie, take it slow]

[ㄴ If you get hurt, you’ll answer to me]

[ㄴ ?]

[ㄴ AgedWine*) Hoeeee…! If Newbie-jjang gets hurt, this one will be sad…!]

[ㄴ Me) OK;; I’ll be careful]

The Tower Master shouldn’t be sad.

If that happened, there’s no telling what kind of trouble might occur.

“…Mr. Doyoon?”

Just then, Cho Harin called out to me.

When I turned my head to look, she asked with a puzzled expression.

“What were you doing?”

“Ah. I was digging up some info on the boss mob with my skill.”

Seeing Cho Harin walk on naturally as if she understood, I felt that my colleagues were also gradually getting used to my skill.

‘This is actually good.’

The less suspicion there is, the more proactively I can act.

“This is the boss room.”

Passing through the dense forest, they arrived at a location.

A bizarre magic circle was drawn on the floor, and an eerie light flowed from its center.

“Doyoon. I’ll go in first here.”

Han Jihyuk said so and took a step forward.

A huge shield was strapped to his back.

Anyone could see he was a tanker.

In preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, Han Jihyuk intended to enter the boss room first and get into formation.

“Understood, Hyungnim.”

“You can come in right after.”

The bear-like figure disappeared in an instant.

It signified his entry into the boss room.

“Let’s go right away.”

Doyoon immediately followed Cho Harin’s instruction and pushed his body into the light.

Just like when he first entered the Tower, his vision blacked out for a moment.

The place that was soon revealed was filled with a musty smell, like the inside of ruins.

“Doyoon!”

“Yes!”

At someone’s shout, Doyoon immediately reacted and entered a combat stance.

[You have entered the Boss Room!]

[Defeat the ‘King Slime’ to clear the floor.]

He dismissed the status window that appeared before his eyes and looked for his tanker hyungnim.

Not far away.

He could see the back of the man confronting the giant slime, larger than any he had seen so far.

“Hyungnim!”

“I’m holding it back, so join in slowly!”

“Understood!”

Han Jihyuk skillfully struck the King Slime with his huge shield, putting it into a stunned state.

“Now!”

Han Jihyuk signaled.

Doyoon quickly dashed forward, intending to aim for the King Slime’s core.

But at that moment.

“Wibble wibble. It hurts.”

At the cute voice that suddenly echoed in his head, Doyoon’s body froze.