[Quest Condition – Target Overkill of Centipedes: 453 +3/150]
[You have exceeded the requirement by 300%.]
Jung Si-woo wasn’t aware of it while he was having fun, but when he checked the quest window, there was an outrageous notice awaiting him. The total overkill he achieved was 453, three times the initial requirement, and even a separate place for +3. That was probably for the giant centipedes that appeared later. Jung Si-woo nodded his head with a smile as he turned to Soo Ah-rin.
“It says I exceeded the requirement, is that a good thing?”
“Absolutely. It depends on the quest, but, naturally, the reward will be better. It is an absolute rule protected by the laws of the Sky Castle.”
But what about the situation now, where they couldn’t trust the player who gave them the quest? Soo Ah-rin thought about that while sitting inside Jung Si-woo’s pocket, staring intensely at the spirit. He had already revealed his true colors. Would such a man willingly reward them? You did get rewards after completing a quest, but this was a situation where the quest giver was already dead and became a spirit. It wouldn’t be a surprise even if he self-destructed and turned into pieces, bringing them with him.
[I will reward you.]
The moment Soo Ah-rin tried to get Jung Si-woo’s attention, the spirit stepped back from them and said that. It was like an up-front surrender.
“You wanted Si-woo to die. But now you’re going to give the rewards over peacefully?”
[Undoubtedly, that was my intention at first. I hated the fact that I suffered and died alone here. Perhaps I was too caught up in my resentment and was unable to think reasonably.]
A spirit wasn’t one for nothing. His pure soul was dominated by evil magic, and his strong emotions had only pushed him to hatred. He turned into a vengeful spirit.
[However, once I saw all the centipedes being completely crushed and wiped out, my grudge was soothed. Finally, I’ve come back to my senses. This is all thanks to you for completing the quest more than perfectly.]
As she saw the spirit that seemed to be a completely different person, Soo Ah-rin became gloomy. In fact, the red-eyed pupils she saw now had a very calm look because his pure soul has returned. But could you really trust someone who tried to betray you? While Soo Ah-rin was conflicted, Jung Si-woo spoke with a laugh.
“I didn’t care from the beginning because if you fought back, I could just kill you.”
[If I had a teammate like you too…no, that is all in the past. Then, I will give the reward to you.]
“No.”
Jung Si-woo shook his head firmly.
“The quest is still ongoing.”
[Yes…?]
The spirit, no, now that he was conscious, the player’s soul reacted with a dumb look on his face to Jung Si-woo’s words. Meanwhile, Soo Ah-rin understood exactly what he meant.
“Si-woo, no way… you’re going to get the boss overkill?!”
“Told you I’m smart.”
“…”
[…]
Soo Ah-rin and the soul fell silent. Meanwhile, Jung Si-woo picked up the monster gems and dollars scattered around them and put them in his inventory. While he was rampaging, the centipedes who had been crushed by Jung Si-woo were often automatically looted by getting hit from rock fragments or by another centipede’s body. When he thought about it again, he had always thought that suppressing his power was the best course of action, but in the dungeons, Jung Si-woo thought that this kind of act was more suitable for him.
Anyhow, he still had plenty of strength in his body to spare. On the contrary, his body only grew stronger with every battle he encountered, and he had never really let his muscles run free until now. Even better was the fact that the happier he got, the better the performance of his muscles.
“These muscles here are a little perverted.”
“Shut up!”
[If you get the boss overkill…is that possible?]
However, if you looked at what Jung Si-woo had done, it seemed to be possible. The ghost was convinced and nodded. Then, as if he had suddenly recalled it, he spoke up.
[This dungeon’s system was created based on my memory of dying. If so, the centipede, who will appear as a boss, is likely to have different attack patterns.]
“Different patterns?”
[It’s poison. The one that killed me spewed poison from its mouth. Likewise, the tip of its tail could shoot poisons as if it were firing a laser.]
The moment he heard that Jung Si-woo flinched. He had been overpowering all the centipedes that came after him so that they had no chance to poison him before they were killed. But it was venomous? If he had entered the boss room without this information, he wouldn’t be killed, but he certainly would’ve been more than embarrassed.
[But before it attacks, there is a specific action it did. If it’s you, you will be able to grasp it and prepare beforehand. Of course, it may be different from what I remember, so be careful.]
“You explained it well. Thanks.”
[It was nothing. I also want to see you crush all of them until the end.]
Nevertheless, Jung Si-woo thought that the Ant Cave was fun. If he had killed the ghost at that moment when he thought he was suspicious, he wouldn’t have had to face a hoard of centipedes all at once, but he also wouldn’t have been able to get information about the boss room from him. The soul also wouldn’t have been able to regain his consciousness and reward them for the quest.
“This seems like a game.”
“It’s a dangerous idea, but certainly, both a dungeon and the Sky Castle sounds like something that comes out of a game. An exclusive game where only a chosen few are selected…of course, you have to risk your life as collateral.”
Those who viewed the Sky Castle and dungeons as games were insensitive to their sense of life and were often easily killed. Soo Ah-rin had always been the most alert type. It was ironic that she died earlier than the others.
“Enjoying it is important. But having fun and treating it as a joke is not the same thing. It’s okay to die because it’s a game; someone with that mindset will die instantly. If we start the game, we shouldn’t die and aim to clear it, isn’t that right?”
“Seriously, the more I know you, the more erratic you become.”
Jung Si-woo, who replied to Soo Ah-rin’s grumble with a big smile, confirmed the time that had passed since they entered the dungeon. 2 hours and 34 minutes had already passed out of the five-hour time limit.
“Good. If possible, I want to finish it within three hours.”
“Clearing this dungeon alone in three hours…no, whatever. I’m done now.”
[Do you know the location of the boss room?]
“It doesn’t matter if I know it or not.”
Jung Si-woo raised his hand and pointed in one direction. Surrounded by pebbles and fragments of the dungeon’s wall, there stood a giant iron gate that managed to withstand the impact from Jung Si-woo’s attack.
“There is only that place over there.”
“I couldn’t even imagine finding a boss room by destroying the dungeon!”
Jung Si-woo, who achieved it unintentionally, quickly rushed toward the door. He grabbed the hammer with all his might and prepared to release his mana. The blocks of rock that obstructed his eyes were all shattered at once with a light kick. If it were the Jung Si-woo right now, even if a tank came, it wouldn’t be able to block him. Not surprisingly, he reached the iron gate in an instant.
“Si-woo, do the overall check-up before entering…this guy!”
“Ha!”
Jung Si-woo, ignoring Soo Ah-rin’s words, kicked the iron gate down excitedly! At that very moment, the view of the huge boss room caught Jung Si-woo’s eyes. That included the appearance of a centipede with an incredibly thick shell and massive body that lurked in the heart of the huge cave. Likewise, the ghost who confirmed the appearance of the centipede shouted with both eyes wide open.
[That, that guy! The boss who defeated me in the level 10 dungeon!]
“It was in a level 10 dungeon?!”
Players who pass the 10th stage dungeon would acquire a class. Of course, a 10th stage dungeon had unique characteristics. Everything, including the levels and traps to the monsters that appeared, was overwhelmingly superior to the previous dungeons. In particular, the boss monster was harder than the monsters that appeared in a 15th stage dungeon. For that reason, the 10th stage dungeon must be challenged with a big party. However, such a guy appeared as the boss of a dungeon that needed to be cleared by Jung Si-woo alone!
“Haaa!
However, Jung Si-woo seemed to have no idea what that meant, so he gathered speed and rushed in a while, pouring his mana into the sledgehammer. Three seconds. After the boss’s room was opened, he needed to make use of the fact that the boss can’t move to strike first!
“Die!”
In the blink of an eye, Jung Si-woo reached the centipede and struck down with the hammer he held with both hands. At the same time, the mana poured into the hammer moved in accordance with the movement of the hammer! It was a perfect strike that even a frontline player would admire.
[Kkueehhh!]
The giant centipede twisted its body, letting out a terrible scream. With the yell of the giant monster over 20 meters long, the cave shook, and it felt like their eardrums would burst. But even in that situation, Jung Si-woo stepped back as fast as he rushed in without getting flustered. It was only once, but he already had experience fighting with a huge monster.
[Kesssshhaahh!]
Dark poison shot out where he was standing just a while ago, but there was a clear smile on his lips. He swung his hammer once more, muttering.
“Okay, I broke one part first.”
[Oh my god…]
The ghost was dumbfounded and scoffed. His gaze was focused on the centipede’s tail, or to be exact, the place where its tail used to be.
[No way to think it was cut off with just a single strike…]
“I guess there really is a poison gland on the tail. The poison is coating the tip of my hammer.”
“Don’t even think about touching it.”
The tail was crushed without a trace by Jung Si-woo’s strike! However, Jung Si-woo, who managed to crush it using his strike, moved calmly while avoiding the poison and observed the damage he dealt.
‘It was clearly smashed to smithereens. Judging from that blow, I think I could smash its head in.’
As the head was the most important point, it should be harder than the tail, but Si-woo still thought that it was possible. This meant that if he had attacked the head first, the battle might have ended. It was a pity that he missed the chance to kill the dungeon boss with one strike, but Jung Si-woo sighed with relief.
“I almost couldn’t overkill it.”
“…”
[…]
Now, the problem started here. Based on the level of the centipedes before, Jung Si-woo thought that the battle with the boss would be easy, but the unexpected intervention of other elements made things a little difficult. The problem was the venom that he spat out. No matter how wide the cave was, if he continued to spit out poison at this rate, it would quickly fill the room and incapacitate Jung Si-woo. If that happens, the only answer was a quick strike…
No matter how smashed the tail is, it was unlikely that an overkill would be achieved by just smashing its head. However, he didn’t have enough mana or any skill to strengthen the power of his strike.
[Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!]
While Jung Si-woo was deep in thought, the centipede, struggling in pain, rushed toward Jung Si-woo, and he finally came back to his senses. The poison that spewed out from its mouth was indeed a threat. He didn’t just stop there; he swung his crushed tail in the air and aimed it towards Si-woo! Jung Si-woo finally realized a way to overkill the boss when he saw the two types of attacks approaching him.
“Yes, I can do that.”
Soo Ah-rin, who decided not to be surprised by any of Jung Si-woo’s actions anymore, ignored her pledge and shouted again.
“You mean you realized something while seeing that?!”
Jung Si-woo immediately jumped away from its tail and poison. Given that he was so muscular, it was a surprisingly agile reaction! The centipede also turned along with him, but it was so massive that it took quite a while for it to change direction. Meanwhile, Jung Si-woo, who already landed on the floor, poured his mana into the hammer again, and before the centipede could turn completely towards him, he threw it!
“Si-woo!”
“Ha!”
At the same time, he kicked off the floor and jumped—all of the mana remaining in his body concentrated in his left fist, which he pulled back. Finally, Soo Ah-rin, who realized what he was trying to do, shouted in astonishment.
“Using two strikes at the same time with his hammer and his bare hand…?!”
He was going to use two moves at the same time, which was a different level than the usual average strike?! Moreover, to be able to time it perfectly? It’s already amazing to come up with that idea in that ridiculously short time, but she was really impressed by his boldness to put it into practice.
[Keshhhhaah…ah!?]
The centipede turned over its body, raising its tail and slamming it into the floor. However, Jung Si-woo had already jumped near its facet! That’s not all. The hammer he threw, coated with mana, soared close to the ceiling, then dropped down towards its head.
[Shaa, kshhhaaakh!]
The centipede realized that the attack was coming from both directions and tried to spit out poison again. However, before that, Jung Si-woo punched its head with his fist at the same time the hammer slammed down.
[Strike Skill is now Lv7.]
[Courage of the Ignorant Skill is now Lv2.]
At that moment, Jung Si-woo felt the tip of his hammer that touched his fist very lightly. Had he been a little stronger, he might’ve even shattered the hammer with his own hands.
“…Huu.”
The centipede couldn’t even make any noises. Jung Si-woo, who succeeded in the attack, first landed on the floor, raising his hammer as the giant centipede collided a moment later. Immediately after that, a string of notifications appeared in front of Jung Si-woo’s eyes.
[Quest Condition – Centipede Target Overkill: 453+3+1/150]
[The quest’s requirement has been exceeded by 500%.]
[The Ant Cave Area #184 Centipede’s Lair has been cleared.]
[Calculating stats.]
That was the moment that Jung Si-woo managed to succeed in overkilling the boss.
