[Dungeon Cleared!]
[Time elapsed 0:46:07]
[Defeated 1 Awakened Demon]
[Special Reward: ‘Only one!’]
[Additional Reward: Player Skill Acquisition – Flame Resistance (Passive)]
Jung Si-woo’s eyes lit up as he read the updates projected on his retina. He didn’t expect that he would receive a special achievement this time. However, the reward was due to special circumstances, not exactly related to the reward-type. Maybe it was just a rare occasion.
[Clear Rank – B]
[Additional Reward: 1 Hearthstone earned!]
[Hearthstone: A magic item that allows you to exit the dungeon immediately.]
Because the ghost absorbed all the monsters in the dungeon to trigger his awakening, Jung Si-woo received a low clearance rank. But this wasn’t enough to stop Soo Ah-rin from screaming when she saw Jung Si-woo, who only paid attention to the rewards.
“Hey, your arms are black and charred!”
“They’re fine. Don’t worry; my skin will heal soon enough.”
Si-woo comforted Ah-rin.
“Why are you talking so casually?!”
Her voice was teeming with concern.
[Experience calculation completed. Your level has risen by 1.]
This was the notification that Jung Si-woo had been waiting for. As soon as the text was displayed in his retina, the mana inside his body amplified, and his whole body recovered miraculously. This was Si-woo’s first time receiving any real injury in a dungeon. Before, he only experienced his mana and fatigue being recovered, but this time, he vividly felt his body rejuvenated from the burns he sustained. He found the entire experience satisfying.
Jung Si-woo gently closed his eyes, remembering the path the mana took for restoration. When he finally opened them, he saw new words appearing in his retina.
[Jung Si-Woo]
[Underground player]
[Lv-26]
[Strength – 134; Agility – 133; Health – 152; Magic – 26]
[Passive Skills-Chaos Tail Lv1, Ignorance Brave Lv3, Poison Resistance Lv6, Fire Resistance Lv1, Soul Collect Lv1]
[Active Skill-Grant Lv13, Slam Lv10, Battle Sprint Lv5, Mana Shot Lv5, War Cry Lv2]
Soo Ah-rin was angry. Seeing him trapped in the flame worried her a lot, and it didn’t help that Si-woo was so apathetic with his own life. Jung Si-woo tried to calm her with his smile.
“You fought on the front line on the 32nd stage. I’m sure you’ve seen things like this before, right?”
“Yes, I’ve seen far worse. However, I haven’t seen many lunatics deliberately putting themselves in danger by taunting their enemies! And not everyone takes burn wounds that lightly!”
“I was fully aware of his power.”
Si-woo continued to try to calm her down.
“I knew that he wasn’t strong enough to kill me and that this burn would heal by clearing the dungeon. And besides, I can’t level up by beating weak monsters such as low-level goblins.”
Ah-rin was left speechless while Jung Si-woo brushed off the dead skin barely hanging off his forearm. Seeing him like that, Soo Ah-rin was terrified. His energetic eyes were a testament to how much he had enjoyed the thrill of his recent battle.
‘Since the first time I’ve met him, he has only shown strength, so I didn’t recognize his true nature.’
But Si-woo didn’t simply enjoy overpowering enemies. Because he was born with superhuman strength, he longed for a duel with someone that could match his strength — someone who would help him get even stronger. More strength would mean Jung Si-woo could actively engage in even more dangerous fights. It was bold and somewhat reckless, yet he savored the fights, nonetheless.
“Fine. If you’re okay with it, go right ahead.”
Soo Ah-rin was resigned. There was nothing else she could do with the situation; she should just be relieved that the dungeon had been cleared and that the humans were safe in the meantime. She realized just how different she was from Si-woo. The thought that she retired because she didn’t have a strong mindset like him crossed her mind for a moment, then suddenly vanished.
“But don’t needlessly risk your life. I don’t know what will happen if you die.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind. If I die trying to get stronger, all my hard work will be for nothing.”
Jung Si-woo nodded his head softly, thinking that not everyone was as lucky as him to have survived an attack like that. If he got caught inside another one, he would hear Ah-rin’s nagging voice again, so it was best if he avoided showing off next time.
“Then, let’s loot.”
“Yes.”
Soo Ah-rin rejoined Jung Si-woo, who struck the dead body of the demon and completed the looting in an instant.
[Two hundred-dollar bills and a red monster bead.]
“It’s somehow lackluster to make money so easily.”
“Wait a minute.”
Ah-rin sensed something odd.
“Huh?”
Soo Ah-rin grabbed his arms just as he was about to put the money in his inventory. She took the bead and the demon’s head and took them to the altar.
“This is a unique bead.”
“What is that?”
“This bead has a special ability; it’s a record keeper. Elite monsters and boss monsters drop this very rarely. Come, offer this bead to the altar.”
When Jung Si-woo placed the bead on the altar, it burst into a spectacle of dazzling light. A piece of rolled paper appearing in its place instead of artifacts or other consumables.
[Fire Attribute Enchantment Scroll]
[Gives D+ grade fire attribute to the artifact.]
It was indeed uncommon. But was the reward specially selected for this situation? Looking back, Jung Si-woo thought that perhaps letting the ghosts eat the goblins was a good idea even if he got a lower clearance rank because of it. Soo Ah-rin was elated as well.
“The D+ grade is familiar to you, but the story is quite different in terms of magic and enchantment. If it’s a D+ grade fire attribute, it’s not that bad. Once attached to an artifact, the damage you deal with enemies will be increased.”
She was clearly excited about it.
“However, if you encounter an enemy possessing the fire attribute, you won’t be able to deal much damage, maybe even not at all. Perhaps it’s best not to equip it to a weapon for now.”
Jung Si-woo grabbed the enchantment scroll anyway and stuck it on the tip of his hammer.
[Black Wolf’s Paw]
[Rank: D+++]
[Attack power-500-1,100]
[Proficiency: 29/240]
[Attribute: Flame D+]
[Option: 1.??? 2. Poison; with a certain probability when hitting]
[A sledgehammer that captures the power contained in the forefoot of the Giant Black Wolf. It is hard and powerful, but it is as heavy as it is powerful, making it difficult to handle. A powerful poison was added.]
“The attack power has also increased a little, right? That enchantment is very good.”
“Yes, I thought you might like it.”
Jung Si-woo smiled as he watched Soo Ah-rin hang her shoulders in resignation.
“Don’t worry too much because I can punch someone who doesn’t wield flames.”
“Most of them will be wielding fire like the previous boss! What if these flames don’t work?”
“I can always do that maneuver again. Besides, I have learned fire resistance now.”
“I know nothing I say will get through you. I give up.”
Soo Ah-rin clenched her teeth, pledging to get Jung Si-woo back for making her worry.
“But if I had fire defense in the first place, I might not have been affected by the flames, and you wouldn’t have had to heal me in the first place.”
Jung Si-woo hummed, unaware that Soo Ah-rin was already planning her revenge. He threw his fiery hammer into his inventory and escaped through the shining gate.
“By the way, if you ride that bike, people will recognize it. What should we do?”
“I have the keys to the resting place. So, would it be okay if we rested for a while? If another player saw the power of the key, they would surely rush to get it.”
“Well…”
Si-woo debated on what to do. It wasn’t just the bike. Although they made sure to hide their faces with their helmets, Jung Si-woo was easy to spot and identify because of his physique. In the end, he decided to return to the resting place. The situation was under control, as far as Jung Si-woo was concerned, or so they thought.
A few hours after the whole world had been turned upside down by the goblin riots in Sanha-Dong, Seoul, and Korea, monsters began to rally in other countries. Fortunately, elite monsters weren’t among their numbers, so the armed forces and the police of most countries were able to subdue them. However, in some countries, the monsters were relentless, and players were needed to diffuse the situation.
Millions of people had been killed or severely wounded in this staggering turn of events. Without any warning, fast-moving monsters, stronger than wild beasts, appeared in every corner of the city, and all of them were driven with malicious intent. At once, the Sky Castle generated negative public opinion. Claims that all the monsters came from the castle started to gain popularity.
Players denied the allegations fervently, but they couldn’t figure out why the monster appeared outside the dungeons, so it was an embarrassing situation for them, at least. But in the end, there was nothing that humans could do except pray for a safe and peaceful tomorrow. The sky castle and the dungeons were still beyond the general public’s reach, and even if you were to shoot at them, the Sky Castle would remain unscathed. Humans had to accept the reality of monsters appearing on the ground just as they had accepted that.
No matter how strong a country was, dealing with an onslaught of non-human enemies was still a dangerous endeavor. And above all, the city center was too reluctant to use powerful firearms, fearing even greater collateral damage. Like those in the dungeons, monsters above a certain level completely overpowered the firepower of modern civilization. In the end, humans had no choice but to turn to the only beings powerful enough to face the monsters head on — the players.
Players were independent of the states, and instead, were hired as mercenaries. Since then, players had begun to work with the the process. Each country was always in a precarious position when dealing with players who acted as outlaws, but in turn, they were able to respond to monsters more effectively.
On the other hand, Korea, which suffered from the world’s first monster appearance, attracted attention for another reason. The reason being that despite other countries fending off monsters, these monsters reappeared periodically and caused carnage, whereas in Sanha-dong Bay in Korea, the monsters, once dealt with, never reappeared.
What made Korea differently, and how could they prevent the reoccurrence of monsters? This attracted the world’s attention, and of course, one person received a bigger share than anyone else. A man who, after dealing with the elite monster, left as fast as he arrived. Someone who minimized the damage caused despite fighting different monsters for the first time.
A player with tremendous skills whose identity was yet to be revealed.
A player none other than Jung Si-woo.
