episode_0025

[The Guardian of Trials expresses immense anger towards the intruders who have polluted the water.]

[The boss of the garden, Tojuwon (B+), appears.]

[Due to his anger, Tojuwon’s mental stats decrease significantly during the battle.]

I nodded as I read the message appearing before my eyes.

“As expected, a + grade for a rare boss.”

Tojuwon (吐珠黿).

Literally meaning ‘the one who spits out beads,’ a Korean monster known for its ability to expel beads.

It is set as a guardian who has protected the sacred tree in this beautiful lake for a long time.

However, from what I see, it’s just a baseless punk.

“…What’s with this sudden addition to the boss theme?”

Placing him in the ‘Goblin Habitat (E),’ where no one goes, was clearly the work of the GM of ‘Gosra.’

In other words, it was orchestrated by the game developers.

On the official website, they hyped everyone up by saying, “The long-hidden Hidden Beast finally appears!” which left everyone bewildered.

And this isn’t just about Tojuwon. Creatures like Haetae or Azure Dragons, originally not fitting the ‘Gosra’ theme, have increased in number.

“They said it was to narrow the gap.”

“Genesis Archive Life” is a mobile game that has been open for a whopping six years.

Considering it’s a mobile game, it’s essentially an elderly figure in the gaming world.

Yet, it remains a masterpiece that continues to maintain high popularity.

But if you’ve played games for a while, you’d know.

After a certain amount of time, whether you like it or not, games become stagnant.

This naturally implies a significant gap between players.

Perhaps due to the power of money displayed through transactions.

Skills like analyzing characters for a long time and honing tactics are personal skills that can be overlooked.

Ultimately, unless the quality of time spent differs, the gap between veterans and newcomers is hard to bridge.

Hence, the game developers’ belief that this doesn’t make for a healthy game.

Therefore, to reduce the gap between the two and increase new player inflow,

they secretly updated permanent event dungeons for the newbies.

One of them being right here, the .

However, contrary to their intentions, the gained notoriety as a ‘newbie slaughterer.’

The reason being the developers, these bastards, mixed in their malicious tendencies, making it impossible to clear through mindless retries.

“The first reason is Tojuwon’s specs.”

His skills are nothing special.

Throwing water-based orbs at high speed with [Water Bomb].

Releasing high-pressure water blasts with [Water Breath], which is more like a water cannon than a breath attack.

Apart from [Furious Strike], a derivative skill of [Pummel], there’s nothing else.

The issue lies in his stats.

As far as I know, his specs are as follows:

―――――――――――――――

◉Tojuwon

[Strength: 12] [Magic: 30]

[Speed: 15] [Mental: 10]

[Endurance: 12] [Divine: 2]

◉Traits

[Swift Feet] [False Goddess’ Beads] [Combat]

◉Skills

[River Water]

-[Water Bomb] (Derivative Skill)

-[Water Breath] (Derivative Skill)

[Pummel]

-[Furious Strike] (Derivative Skill)

―――――――――――――――

Overall, his stats are absurdly high.

Especially, his magic stat is not something a B-grade boss should possess.

The reason for his high speed is due to his nature as a creature, not a turtle, with the trait [Swift Feet].

His incredibly high magic stat is because of the heroic trait [False Goddess’ Beads].

In ‘Gosra,’ magic primarily deals with firepower.

Even if it’s just a simple water cannon, with high magic, it can exude the intimidation of a real dragon’s breath.

However, he’s not weak in close combat either.

With the trait [Combat], even a young turtle like him can deliver quite a painful blow with those short, stout limbs.

“…In summary, it’s all a bunch of crap.”

The place where the fight with the brat was happening was generally near the lake.

So, if it’s in close proximity, you have to endure the penalty of water and fight, but if that’s within your capabilities, then you’re no longer a newbie.

Therefore, usually, you confront the brat from a distance.

This guy. Annoyingly, he kept relentlessly firing off [Water Breath], dominating with an even greater range, making mindless attacks practically futile.

“They expect newbies to deal with this? Those damn game admins.”

But the game admins are also smart individuals (probably?).

As long as you know the gimmicks and strategies, Toguwon is someone you can easily defeat even with lower stats, given what they’ve thrown at you for newbie training.

The first step among them is pulling down from the water.

True to the setting of having survived as a local hero for a long time, Toguwon despised anything impure touching the lake.

Among those, what he detested most was water pollution.

To combat that, he bought toxic substances from Im Hyeja, purposefully hunted worthless creatures like goblins and goblin archers to gather materials, and created ‘Homemade Poison Shake’ to sprinkle in the river.

“Kwaaah!!!”

And now, it bore fruit.

Hidden in the bushes, I watched the noble Toguwon facing off against the brat with pride.

“…Step one successful.”

Now, the crucial thing is whether the brat will perform well.

In the worst-case scenario, I have some countermeasures prepared, but I know well.

My beloved main character, the brat, is not just a cute and fragile girl.

She may not have had the opportunity or talent to blossom.

But her passion and heart are unmatched by anyone.

“…That’s why she came here.”

Even in the face of mortal danger, I believe she can overcome it.

I took a deep breath and quietly placed my hand on the hilt of my sword.

* * *

“Kwaaah!!”

Toguwon’s bloodshot eyes, filled with rage, darted around.

A creature burning with anger.

“How dare you defile this lake I’ve protected for so long?” With only this thought in mind, Toguwon swaggered around the ground.

A few minutes ago, Toguwon cautiously observed the intruder who had entered this place for the first time from inside the lake.

Seeing a weak-looking male and a furry lump that didn’t seem proper, Toguwon felt a bit disappointed.

So, unless they did something extraordinary, he intended to spare their lives.

But that notion was foolish.

Intruders must be killed without exception.

From memory, it was undoubtedly the male who had poisoned the water.

But he was nowhere to be seen.

Normally composed and calm, Toguwon would have thoroughly searched the forest, but he was already in a state of extreme excitement.

Even if there was a reason to destroy this beautiful forest, he would find and punish it.

And as he pondered, bang! Bang! Bang!

“…Grrr!”

At the sound of clanging metal, he immediately looked down.

There stood Mahana, a fairy girl who seemed incredibly delicate compared to Toguwon.

She was so small that even right in front of him, he couldn’t spot her.

“…Gulp, gulp. Come on… come at me! You turtle!”

Swallowing dry spit, Mahana taunted in a childish manner.

But Toguwon couldn’t let it slide.

The empty bottle in her left hand was undoubtedly the same poison vial the male had been carrying until recently.

Toguwon decided to kill her, even though she was as tiny as a mouse.

A distinct surge of magical energy spread out.

Watching, Mahana took a deep breath.

“This is it!”

And as if announcing it, three orbs of magic began to gather around Toguwon’s body.

The droplets coalesced into a water mass the size of a human head in an instant and were swiftly hurled.

[Water Bomb].

It was a derivative skill of [Magic] called [River Water], showcasing Toguwon’s power.

Originally a seemingly insignificant power, Toguwon’s magical power level was an impressive 30.

Whiyoong―!

Each strike practically possessed the destructive force of a large hammer.

“Muahh!”

However, Mahana wasn’t afraid. Instead, she stepped forward, raising her shield with both hands and drawing magic from deep within her body.

“ !”

Bang―!

Bang―!

Bang―!

Consecutive explosions of [Water Bomb].

Thinking it was over, Toguwon turned his head, only to be startled by the resounding clang that followed.

“It’s not over! You foolish turtle! Oh, sorry, I was too harsh.”

“…Grrr!”

Toguwon’s eyebrows twitched. Despite being pushed back a few steps, Mahana steadfastly blocked with her shield.

Toguwon felt his pride wounded. How dare she not only evade but block his attack head-on? He saw it as a challenge to his status as the boss here.

“Kweeeak!”

Foam bubbled from Toguwon’s mouth as he opened it wide.

The bead hanging from his chin pouch glowed, and water from the lake rose high into the sky, swirling in his mouth as if drawn by gravity.

‘…It’s coming!’

Mahana instinctively recognized that the current technique was what the fortune teller had warned about – ‘that.’

‘Water Breath!’

[Toguwon casts .]

[Power increases by 20% due to the trait.]

Kwaaaah―!

A powerful water cannon shot straight at Mahana with the force to obliterate her.

“…”

Was this the end?

Mahana suddenly felt as if the approaching [Water Breath] was moving in slow motion.

Fear froze her body. If her weak self took that head-on, she would surely be transformed.

An undeniable fact.

In an instant, Mahana glanced at the watching eyes from the forest.

“…”

The fortune teller.

He was looking at her.

Without saying a word, his gaze conveyed reassurance.

—Impossible. Magical power of 30? Can I really block it…

—You can do it. I’ll guarantee it. You can do it!

So believe in yourself!

‘…Okay.’

He had said it.

So she would believe.

So she would succeed.

“Muahhh!!!”

Bang―!

Mahana unexpectedly let out a loud yell and charged forward towards the Water Breath.