Chapter 38: Dungeon Hunter (3)
TL: Hanguk
In the safe zone of Wolgwang Island, I can see the coasts to the east, south, and west.
To the east is the direction of Gauido Island, while to the west lies Gungsi Island, known as the home of black-tailed gulls, and further beyond that is the Gyeongnyeolbi Archipelago, often called the Dokdo of the West Sea.
But to the south, there are only scattered rocky islets without even names.
The light, which seemed to be a distress signal, was shining from the south.
"Do you see anything?"
"It looks like a rocky island, but I can't tell if there's anyone on it."
At my question, Willia and Herold squinted their eyes and shook their heads.
The approximate distance was about 1 km.
To reflect sunlight so noticeably from that far away, one would likely need to be holding a mirror.
So, the periodically flashing light couldn't be considered as marine debris, but rather a signal that someone was intentionally creating.
"There's a rocky island in the middle, so if I use the Stepping Stone and Leap skills, I think I can make the trip."
"Are you going to check it out?"
I could go to Gauido Island to get a telescope and check without having to go there in person, but going back and forth would take about the same time.
And if that really is a signal from someone in need of help, I can't afford to waste time.
"I have to go."
Without me asking, Willia cast Bless on me.
Bless is a skill that increases my stats by 20% for one hour.
It also boosts the Mana used for Stepping Stone and Leap by 20%.
"I'll go and come back, so take a little rest."
"Be careful."
"I will."
Then, to move more freely, I unequipped my weapons and armor and stored them in my Inventory.
Next, to avoid being seen by wyverns, I pulled the hood of my black Magic Robe tightly over my head and ran down the hill where the safe zone was located.
Before long, I reached the edge of the cliff.
'Leap.'
I kicked off the ground with all my strength.
With my improved stats, my jumping distance and speed had both increased compared to when I first arrived on land.
-Pah! Pah! Pah!
Thanks to that, whenever I activated the Stepping Stone skill and leapt into the air, it felt like I was breaking through a barrier of air with my bare body.
In an instant, I reached the rocky island in the middle.
-Swish.
I took a short break to quickly replenish my depleted Mana.
During that time, dark shadows from the ocean circled around the rocky island where I was standing, but I paid them no mind.
‘In rural areas, rocks like these are usually called candle rocks.’
And then, I saw the destination, a rocky island shaped like a clenched fist with its middle finger raised.
A rocky island no wider than about 20 meters.
Seeing no sign of vegetation, I couldn’t help but tilt my head in puzzlement.
It didn't seem like there would be anyone there.
'Still, I have to check it out.'
I waited until the sea monsters circling around the rocky island left, then I dashed through the air once more.
I was now faster than before, so the sea monsters couldn't easily keep up with me.
"Huff..."
A moment later.
When I reached the destination, I stepped onto the Stepping Stone and wore a surprised expression.
'I thought it was impossible, but...'
To my astonishment, there was indeed a person on that rocky island.
"Ah..."
His face was sunburnt red from the sunlight, his eyes hollow from hunger, and it seemed like one of his legs had been torn off by a sea monster. He looked up at me with a dazed expression.
The man appeared to be dressed as a fisherman.
Which means...
‘Has he been trapped here ever since the Great Catastrophe happened? For a full 13 days?’
He was a survivor who had endured the extreme conditions of an uninhabited island.
"Are you alright?"
***
Kim, a 40-year-old man working in the construction industry, enjoyed fishing as his hobby.
That day was a special one.
A fishing boat captain he knew well in Taean, Chungnam, had discovered an incredible black porgy spot and invited him out to sea.
The location that the captain pointed out was a small rocky island.
“I’ll be back before sunset, so enjoy yourself.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Kim began fishing without much thought.
And the rocky island was truly an amazing spot, just as the captain had promised.
As soon as his fishing hook touched the seawater, black porgy started coming up one after another.
-Ring Ring Ring!
[Wife]
Kim was so absorbed in his fishing that he didn’t even hear the urgent ringing of his phone.
Time passed by indifferently as he was engrossed in his hobby.
Before he knew it, the icebox he had brought was filled to the brim with black porgy.
-Ring Ring Ring!
It wasn't until three hours into his fishing that Kim finally answered his phone.
[You crazy man!]
“Whoa, you startled me! What’s wrong?”
[The world's in chaos right now, what the hell are you doing?]
“What?”
It was at that moment that Kim became aware of the catastrophe happening around him.
After talking with his wife, he frantically tried to contact the fishing boat captain.
But there was no response, and when he tried calling other boat owners he knew, the result was the same.
He even attempted to reach the coast guard, but that also failed.
That’s right.
Kim was stranded on that rocky island.
[Day 1 of Survival]
Luckily, the rocky island didn’t get submerged during high tide.
He had 2 liters of water, one cup of instant noodles, and the fish he had caught while fishing.
Kim decided to save as much water as possible, keeping the cup noodles as emergency rations and filled his stomach with raw fish.
[Day 2 of Survival]
Kim concluded that no rescue would come for him.
So, he started looking for an escape plan and found out that Wolgwang Island, a relatively large uninhabited island, was about 1 km to the north.
[Day 3 of Survival]
Since he had a life jacket, he decided to try swimming to Wolgwang Island.
The waves were too strong the previous day, but on this day, the sea seemed calm enough for the challenge.
But then, to his horror, he realized there was something in the water.
Kim had no choice but to abandon his attempt to cross the sea.
[Day 5 of Survival]
Even in the middle of the ocean, his once-reliable smartphone finally died.
He had been conserving the battery, using it only for minimal contact with his family, which made the disappointment even greater.
[Day 7 of Survival]
In a situation where drinking water had run out, he succeeded in desalinating seawater using the icebox, some plastic, and a PET bottle.
This allowed him to quench his thirst, at least a little.
[Day 10 of Survival]
From midday, the sky started looking ominous, and soon, a storm began to rage.
Although he could drink his fill, the rising waves continuously threatened to engulf the rocky island.
And lurking in those elevated waters was a monster, which ended up taking one of Kim’s legs.
[Day 11 of Survival]
With the injury below his knee, Kim suffered from high fever and intense pain all day.
The wound tied off with a belt felt as if bugs were nibbling away at the flesh bit by bit.
Kim despaired over and over again.
“What?”
But then.
Was it a hallucination?
He thought he saw smoke rising in the distance.
He rubbed his eyes and looked again.
“Oh, oh!”
It wasn’t a hallucination.
There was definitely smoke rising from the direction of Wolgwang Island, known to be uninhabited.
Fire meant civilization.
Kim deduced that there must be people on Wolgwang Island.
[Day 13 of Survival]
For two days straight, Kim tirelessly flashed a mirror in the direction of Wolgwang Island.
He hoped that someone out there would see his signal.
But no matter how long he waited, no rescue came.
‘Well, who would dare to cross a sea teeming with monsters?’
His torn leg had lost all sensation, and the stench of decay was overwhelming.
Kim sensed that he didn’t have much time left, and eventually, he gave up on everything.
‘It seems my time has come.’
And so, Kim waited for death.
But then, at that moment.
As if his time had indeed come, a mysterious figure soared across the sky and landed in front of him.
The figure extended a hand toward him, and Kim took it.
***
-Thud!
"Huh?"
The man, looking every bit like a real-life Robinson Crusoe.
I placed him down in the safe zone of Wolgwang Island.
Since he was small to begin with and had lost a lot of weight over the past few days, carrying him on my back wasn’t that difficult.
The man seemed too bewildered to understand the current situation and let out a dazed sound.
I took out some food from my Inventory and offered it to him.
"Here, eat this for now. Let me know if you need more."
“This... this dream feels so vivid.”
He still didn't seem to realize that he had been rescued.
Even though I had already used the advanced recovery skill of the Ring of Recovery to restore his severed leg and replenish his strength, he was still in shock.
He struggled to accept reality.
As a result, I had quite a hard time explaining the situation to him.
“So, are you saying that I’m alive?”
“Yes, that's correct.”
“A-and my family, are they safe?”
How would I know that?
It seemed like he was seeing me as some kind of extraordinary being.
‘Well, time will sort everything out.’
But before that, there was something that needed to be done.
"Now that you’ve had something to eat, let's get you cleaned up."
The stench coming from his body was overwhelming.
Willia was holding her breath, and Herold had plugged his nose, not coming within 10 meters of the man.
I handed him 100 coins and practically shoved him into the bathhouse in the safe zone.
About 30 minutes later, the man emerged looking much more presentable.
The bathhouse not only cleanses the body but also automatically washes clothes, so even though his outfit was worn out, the smell was gone.
"I will forever be grateful for your kindness in saving my life."
He then introduced himself, now with a more composed expression.
“Kim ssi ajeossi? What’s your full name?”
“Just calling me Kim ssi is fine. Everyone always called me that.”
I looked at him with a somewhat complicated expression.
The reason was that he was the first person (other than NPCs) to set foot on Wolgwang Island, which I thought was mine alone.
Moreover, he had no way of leaving Wolgwang Island.
Unless I obtained another MP Recovery Potion or an item that would allow me to use the waypoint to travel, as my father had mentioned, he was stuck.
“Is there any way you can contact your family?”
“When I get outside, I’ll ask my father to help look into it.”
I explained to Kim ssi that he could use the waypoint to leave the island.
Hearing this, Kim ssi was in awe, bowing his head repeatedly in gratitude.
“I’m actually pretty good at anything you might need. If there's something you want me to do, just say the word.”
“What exactly are you good at?”
“I know my way around machinery a bit, and I can handle most things related to construction.”
“Really? Could you, for example, fix an old groundwater pump if you had the right tools?”
“Well, I'd have to check its condition, but if the pipes aren’t clogged, I think I could manage.”
“Oh!”
Turns out, he was a real-life MacGyver.
Right now, what Wolgwang Island was lacking was precisely the kind of facilities that would improve the quality of life.
And Kim ssi seemed to be the person who could make that possible.
‘If I leave the island, Wolgwang Island will be as good as frozen in time. But what if I had him build the facilities? In other words, the island would continue to develop even without me being there!’
It felt like I had finally found a missing piece to my puzzle.
I could already imagine Wolgwang Island being remodeled into the shape I had always envisioned, all thanks to Kim ssi’s abilities.
‘Not bad at all.’
Installing plumbing, bringing in and setting up solar power equipment, even decorating houses luxuriously to enjoy a life no less splendid than before.
“If your family is safe, I’ll make sure to find them and keep them protected.”
“W-would you really do that for me?”
“And I’ll look for a way for you to live with your family outside of Wolgwang Island in the future. In the meantime, I hope you can help me out here.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
And with that, Wolgwang Island gained its loyal caretaker, a SCV to help manage the island. (TL: SCV is reference to StarCraft's 'Space Construction Vehicle')
***
Kim ssi turned out to be a true MacGyver.
With the equipment I had brought over from Gauido Island, he swiftly and efficiently managed to unblock the underground water source of the abandoned house on Wolgwang Island.
Thanks to his work, I no longer needed to go to other places to fetch water, as we could now handle everything on the island itself.
And then, with even more enthusiasm than I expected, he started leveling the ground in front of the safe zone, saying he would build a magnificent fortress for his benefactor.
According to him, with all the advanced building materials available in the safe zone shop, the construction work wouldn’t be too difficult.
So, I handed him 20,000 coins to purchase construction materials and made one small request.
I asked him to include a cozy, atmospheric party pool if possible.
To that, Kim ssi readily agreed with a nod.
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
“I’m excited to see the new look of Wolgwang Island that Kim ssi is going to create.”
“Well, he does seem to have a lot of skills.”
“Haha, doesn’t he?”
I must say, finding such a talented all-purpose SCV like this makes me feel incredibly lucky.
Thanks to him, I’m able to continue hunting with a much lighter heart.
“It’s the Boss Room.”
A spacious chamber built with gray bricks.
Willia and I stood at the entrance, staring at the large door at the far end with gleaming eyes.
Currently, we were clearing a new dungeon.
The location was Cheonan City Hall in Cheonan, Chungnam.
That's right.
This was one of the dungeons identified by the government, a place that my father had told me about.
Furthermore, just like Hongseong, this dungeon was filled with undead monsters, making it a perfect place to maximize the efficiency of a Priest.
The dungeon's name was “Underground Tomb”.
The recommended level was 25, which was 5 levels higher than Mongma’s Dungeon.
‘This should be manageable without too much difficulty.’
While complacency is never a good thing, there's no need to be overly tense either.
With confidence, I pressed on in the dungeon, reaching the boss room in less than three hours.
“Let’s replenish our mana and go in right away.”
“Understood.”
We regrouped in front of the boss room.
The attack team this time consisted of me, Willia, and Woof-woof—the three of us.
“All set and ready.”
“Alright, shall we?”
-Awoo!
With our short preparations complete, we placed our hands on the boss room door.
-Creak!
The enormous door slowly opened, revealing the boss.
[Boss Skeleton Mage Katra / Level 35]
The foe we were to face finally appeared.
“A magic type?”
“Looks like it.”
This seems to be a stroke of luck.
It looks like a good training ground to prepare for a re-run of the Forgotten Mine dungeon in Hongseong.
[Skeleton / Level 25]
[Skeleton / Level 25]
In addition, the boss, Skeleton Mage Katra, was commanding five regular skeletons as its minions.
“I’ll leave the skeletons to you.”
“Yes!”
With Willia and Woof-woof teaming up, they could easily handle the five regular skeletons.
My focus was solely on Skeleton Mage Katra.
[Foolish beings, you dare to intrude.]
At that moment, the boss monster delivered its line, and the torches in the once-dark boss room suddenly lit up, illuminating the space.
“If it’s a magic-type monster, it might drop a skill book for ranged attacks, right?”
Without hesitation, I charged at the boss with full force.
[Kekeke, Magic Bullet.]
The monster pointed its finger at me and used a skill I knew all too well.
-Fwoosh!
A flash of light emanated from the tip of the skeleton’s finger, and the thin armor shirt I was wearing got slashed deeply.
I managed to twist my body at the last second to dodge the attack that was aimed at my heart.
Although the Magic Bullet was fast, it wasn’t quite as quick as a real bullet.
‘Who knew that fighting against gun-wielding enemies would actually come in handy here?’
Then, based on my experience fighting against enemies that shoot live ammunition, the key is to constantly change your movements.
[You sure are fidgety.]
“Whatever.”
During that moment, the creature launched two more Magic Bullets.
But I evaded the attacks without any problem, and as soon as I closed the distance to within three meters of Skeleton Mage Katra...
‘Swift Thrust!’
Although it's a close-range attack, Swift Thrust with a 3-meter range was fired along the tip of the sword.
[Kuk! Intermediate Shield!]
Katra loudly shouted the skill name as it blocked the Swift Thrust.
But the Intermediate Shield immediately showed cracks, as if it would shatter with just one hit, making it difficult for Katra to brace for the follow-up attack.
‘Sword Aura! Mighty Slash!’
The shield’s defense caused me to lose an opportunity for an attack, but it also brought the distance between me and Katra to zero. Without hesitation, I unleashed my most powerful strike.
-Boom!
[Kuk!]
I’ve faced many level 35 named monsters before.
Although the enemy in front of me was a boss monster rather than a named one, I wasn’t too worried.
[Just that... won't be enough...]
Katra managed to block this attack as well.
The Intermediate Shield held up, but it took another hit.
My strike broke through one Intermediate Shield but couldn’t destroy the second one.
“Don’t worry, I’m just getting started.”
I had already anticipated that a single blow wouldn't take it down.
So, I immediately launched another Sword Aura + Mighty Slash.
[Wh-what.]
As soon as the attack was blocked again, I followed up with the same attack without hesitation.
It became a battle between the one trying to block and the one trying to break through.
[You brute.]
Just as Katra muttered in frustration, I kept relentlessly pounding on it.
“Heal!”
Thanks to Willia's timely and well-executed support, the balance of power finally tipped in our favor.
[No, this can’t be! Aaaaah!]
The battle ended far more easily than I had expected.
“Sometimes, the simplest approach really is the best.”
[You have defeated the boss Skeleton Mage Katra and gained 25,500 experience points.]
[You have earned 10,000 experience points for being the first to defeat the Skeleton Mage.]
[Your level has increased.]
[All ‘Injuries’ and ‘Status abnormalities’ have been fully healed due to the level up.]
[You have received rewards for defeating the boss Skeleton Mage Katra.]
-You have obtained 8,552 coins.
-You have acquired 2 Advanced Healing Potions.
-You have gained 3 additional slots in your Inventory.
-You have acquired the Skill Book: Fire.
[You have received the first-time defeat rewards for Skeleton Mage.]
-You have obtained 1,000 coins.
-You have acquired the Skill Book: Wind.
The rewards were so satisfying that I couldn’t help but clap my hands.
“Baek-ho nim!”
“Ah, yes!”
But upon hearing Willia's shout, I suddenly realized that she and Woof-woof were still in the middle of their fight. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I immediately jumped in to provide support.
With my intervention, the remaining skeletons were quickly taken care of.
“Phew... Great job, everyone.”
“It ended more easily than I thought.”
We all had expressions of deep satisfaction on our faces.
But then...
“What?”
“What’s wrong?”
I suddenly sensed something unusual.
“The dungeon clear message isn’t popping up.”
Hearing my words, Willia opened her eyes wide in surprise.
And at that moment...
[You have been identified as a possessor of a scenario fragment. Transferring to a hidden field.]
“What?”
Suddenly, Willia, Woof-woof, and I were transported to an unfamiliar location.
***
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