Chapter 40: Evolution (2)
TL: Hanguk
What did I do after witnessing the evolution of the monsters?
-Papapat!
-Kkuik?
-Kkuuak!
First off, regardless of the context of the situation, I immediately lunged forward to grab the first kill reward.
[You have defeated an Orc Archer and gained 100 experience points.]
[You have gained 500 experience points for being the first to defeat a Orc Archer.]
[The reward for defeating the Orc Archer has been granted.]
-You have obtained 15 coins.
-You have obtained 2 pieces of Orc Hide.
[An additional reward has been granted for the first defeat of the Orc Archer.]
-You have obtained 75 coins.
-You have obtained the skill book ‘Vision Enhancement.’
Yes, this is it.
The best part of the first kill reward.
The chances of obtaining skill books or special equipment are high.
Even though the Orc Archer was a level 10 monster and didn’t give much experience or coins, so what?
When the drop rate of skill books is this high.
Then, I immediately rushed at a level 15 Orc Warrior and beheaded it with a single strike.
[You have defeated an Orc Warrior and gained 400 experience points.]
[The reward for defeating the Orc Warrior has been granted.]
-You have obtained 72 coins.
-You have obtained 1 piece of Black Iron Shard.
However, the message I was expecting didn’t appear after defeating the Orc Warrior.
There are two possibilities.
One, someone simply defeated the Orc Warrior before me.
Or, there was a named Orc Warrior in the dungeon or a hidden field, and someone had already taken care of that named Orc Warrior beforehand.
-Swaaak!
-Kkuruk.
I wiped out the remaining Orcs and rushed straight to Willia.
And I asked her.
“It’s not just the Orcs in our front yard that have gone crazy and evolved, right? Should I assume that there has been a system update regarding monsters?”
The term “update” was just something I used for convenience, but Willia understood it easily.
‘Ordinary monsters appeared, followed by aerial monsters, sea monsters, Elder monsters, and now the monsters have evolved. What else could you call this sequential change in monsters if not an update?’
She nodded as if she agreed with my guess.
“Probably. There’s no such thing as a change without reason.”
“I see.”
It didn’t seem like she knew for sure, but that was enough for me to act.
‘If monsters are evolving and new kinds of monsters are popping up everywhere right now... doesn’t that mean it’s a great opportunity to sweep up first kill rewards?’
Without hesitation, I grabbed Willia’s hand and pulled her up onto Woof-woof.
“Let’s go, Woof-woof!”
“B-Baek-ho nim?”
Then, I started rushing towards the northern part of Wolgwang Island with her.
“We’ll circle the north quickly, then head straight to Hongseong, so hold on tight.”
As I ran, I explained the situation to her.
My plan was to secure as many first kill rewards as possible.
In response, she let out a small exclamation, saying it was a good idea, and agreed with my plan.
‘Let others handle easy-to-catch monsters like slimes, goblins, and kobolds.’
I’m planning to wipe out the higher-tier monsters.
[Lizardman Warrior / Level: 20]
[Lizardman Shaman / Level: 25]
[Chief Dire Wolf / Level: 20]
[Corrosive Zombie / Level: 20]
[Skeleton Archer / Level: 30]
[Dullahan Rider / Level: 35]
As a result of running around here and there, I was able to claim the first kill rewards three times in the northern part of Wolgwang Island and three more times in Hongseong.
‘There doesn’t seem to be any changes in the dungeon monsters.’
Of course, not all six of the first kill rewards were jackpots, but considering how little time I invested, the results were excellent.
In addition to the Vision Enhancement skill from the Orc Archer I defeated earlier, here are the standout rewards:
[Vision Enhancement / Intermediate Skill Book / Active]
- Allows you to see distant places.
- By consuming additional mana, the range of vision can be increased.
[Ring of Agility / Grade: Special]
- Agility +3
[Pure White Veil / Helmet / Grade: Special]
- A veil made of semi-transparent silk. It can be used to cover the face or worn on the head, or wrapped under the chin for full functionality.
- Provides stable, clean air to the wearer even in extreme environments.
- A high-grade auto shield that activates up to three times a day to protect the head from enemy attacks.
- Magic Power +3
The skill and the ring were mine, and the helmet went to Willia.
The helmet’s options were quite appealing, but I already had a superior piece of gear, the Light-Woven Helmet, so I gave it to Willia.
“Oh, it looks great on you!”
“Hehe, really?”
Willia wore the Pure White Veil on her head. The veil, resembling a fashion wedding veil, added to her already mysterious aura.
Moreover, in crowded places, her beauty could be problematic, so she could use it to cover her face then.
It was a versatile piece of equipment in many ways.
“This wasn’t expected, but we upgraded our gear again in just one day.”
Though it had been a short hunt, I was very satisfied.
And there was someone else who expressed their satisfaction as well.
“This equipment is amazing!”
It was none other than Kim ssi.
I also allocated him an item from the first kill rewards.
The item in question was this:
[Shining Golden Shovel / Household Tool / Grade: Special]
- A magic-infused shovel that can dig up to 100kg of earth at once without effort and can even break through tough obstacles like cement or rock.
- Increases the chances of discovering buried relics and treasures.
- Strength +3, Fatigue recovery function.
A legendary piece of equipment, announcing the birth of a human excavator.
The golden shovel would be a great boon to Kim ssi's work.
Seeing his honest smile, I nodded, satisfied that he was pleased.
By the way, I didn’t give the shovel to him permanently. I only lent it to him.
Considering its options, I might have use for it someday as well.
“With this shovel, I can even build a big basement. Ah, I could even make a pond.”
Kim ssi looked thrilled.
His goal might have been to repay a favor, but from what I could see, he was quite enjoying himself too.
When you enjoy your work, the results are naturally better.
I’m already excited to see the level of facilities Kim ssi will create.
‘I hope I can confirm the safety of his family soon so he can work with peace of mind.’
After that, we had a quick meal together and then each went off to do our respective tasks.
“Are you going hunting again today?”
Of course.
For Willia and me, hunting is the main activity of our daily routine.
Besides, there are plenty of dungeons that my father had informed me about.
For now, sweeping through dungeons and claiming first clear rewards is my primary goal.
“Please take care of Wolgwang Island again today.”
“Don’t worry, I will.”
***
Day 14 after the apocalypse.
For the first time since the monsters evolved, we crossed over to another region.
Our destination was Pyeongtaek City in Gyeonggi Province, specifically P High School.
It’s about 18 kilometers away from the Underground Tomb in Cheonan, which we cleared yesterday.
In the past, I would have just ignored the monsters blocking our path and sprinted straight to the destination. But now, with the monsters having evolved, it wasn’t so simple anymore.
-Tititing! Pung!
“Damn goblin bastards.”
“So annoying.”
The reason was that the monsters' professions had diversified, creating many ways to hinder our progress.
Even with goblins, for instance, the Poison Needle Goblins and Goblin Shamans obstructed our route.
The problem was that this sort of diversity now applied to almost every field monster.
As a result, travel time between cities had gotten longer.
In the past, covering 18 kilometers would have taken less than an hour, but now it took a full two hours.
‘Dungeons are better, at least.’
The one saving grace was that the evolution hadn't affected dungeon monsters yet. Dungeons maintained their set difficulty, without any changes.
The dungeon we visited in Pyeongtaek was a Werewolf Den.
[Werewolf / Level: 20]
The werewolves, with their agile movements, were somewhat troublesome to deal with, but to be honest, the dungeon itself felt easier than the Underground Tomb we had cleared earlier.
[Werewolf Warrior Trisil / Level: 30]
The named monster was on par with the boss from Mongma’s Dungeon, Kallia.
[Werewolf Grand Warrior Hilt / Level: 35]
The boss monster was similar in strength to the named Dullahan, or perhaps slightly stronger.
“Sword Aura! Mighty Slash! Swift Thrust!”
In the werewolf den, I took down two named monsters and one boss monster, obtaining two useful skills and one item.
[Rough Terrain Walking / Intermediate Skill Book / Passive]
- Allows you to walk easily through rough terrain such as swamps, snowfields, and steep slopes.
[Clean / Intermediate Skill Book / Active]
- Removes dirt and contamination from clothes or body.
- Mana cost: 1
[Boots of Wind / Grade: Special]
- Feather-light yet tough as steel, offering high defense.
- Increases the efficiency of Sprint and Leap skills by 30%.
- Agility +4
I kept the Rough Terrain Walking skill and the Boots of the Wind for myself, and gave Clean to Willia.
I consider us to be in a cooperative relationship.
So, I try to ensure that Willia gets at least one reward consistently.
‘Honestly, her hidden favorability level is also something I don't want to mess with.’
After this hunt, both Willia and I gained two levels, finally reaching Level 40.
***
Day 15 after the apocalypse.
Willia and I traveled 10 kilometers east from Pyeongtaek and arrived in Anseong.
“As expected, undead dungeons are the easiest.”
“Yeah, they’re disgusting to look at, but it’s fun to watch them melt.”
In Anseong, there’s a regional campus of a famous Seoul university, and beneath that campus was a dungeon called the Cursed Crematorium.
It was a dungeon filled with skeletons from start to finish, and its difficulty was about the same as the Underground Tomb in Cheonan.
We defeated three named Skeleton Mages and one boss, a Skeleton Knight, but...
“Seriously, can it get any worse than this?”
The rewards were absolutely terrible.
[Magic Bullet / Intermediate Skill Book / Active]
- Attacks the designated target with a magic bullet.
- Maximum range: 100m.
This was literally the only thing we got.
Magic Bullet is a good skill, no doubt, but since I already had it, it became Willia’s. It was the first time I cleared an entire dungeon and didn’t get a single thing for myself.
There were even several treasure chests, making me hopeful we might find a waypoint item, like my father had mentioned, but all they contained were coins.
The only consolation was that I was steadily accumulating Item Draw Tickets from the first clear rewards.
“Sigh, calm down. You’ve gained plenty of rewards so far.”
Since the Item Draw Tickets are meant for later fun, I didn’t open them in frustration right away.
On this day too, we both gained two more levels, reaching Level 42.
***
Day 16 after the apocalypse.
We traveled 18 kilometers north from the Pyeongtaek waypoint and arrived at the Osan Sports Complex.
“Baek-ho nim, there are other people here.”
“There seem to be quite a few civilian hunting teams in this area.”
Osan presented a different situation from what we had seen so far.
A wide area was divided between Kobold and Orc territories, and we could see many civilian hunting teams operating here.
There were easily over 100 people, and it might even reach 1,000.
Most of the people were between level 10 and 15, but it was refreshing to see so many people actively hunting for the first time.
Since there were so many hunters, the quality of my and Willia’s gear, as well as the presence of Woof-woof, attracted quite a bit of attention.
We ignored the gazes and entered the dungeon.
[You have cleared the Troll’s Nest Dungeon within the time limit.]
[You have ‘first cleared’ the Troll’s Nest Dungeon and received an additional reward.]
- Special-grade Item Draw Ticket
[You have cleared the Troll’s Nest Dungeon and received an additional reward.]
- Premium~Special-grade Item Draw Ticket
Before long, we cleared that dungeon as well.
The Troll’s Nest was a small dungeon consisting of one named monster and one boss monster.
Luckily, the bad luck we experienced the day before didn’t happen again.
[Rough Terrain Walking / Intermediate Skill Book / Passive]
- Allows easy movement through rough terrains like swamps, snowfields, and steep slopes.
[Gale’s Leather Gloves / Grade: Special]
- Gloves made from the hide of the Troll Shaman Gale, incredibly soft yet tough enough to be impervious to physical attacks.
- Increases the power of magic-based attack skills by 50%.
- Magic Power +4
[Communication Rings (Pair) / Grade: Special]
- A set of two communication rings.
- Allows conversation between the wearers without any distance limitations.
Since I had already learned Rough Terrain Walking, I gave it to Willia, and I kept Gale’s Leather Gloves for myself.
"Wow! A communication item!"
And the most exciting reward of all— a communication item.
I immediately took one of the communication rings to my parents.
Thanks to this, we can now contact each other anytime.
The only downside was that the easier communication led to a lot more nagging from my parents.
But honestly, I consider this a good kind of problem to have.
That day, I leveled up again, reaching Level 43.
***
Day 17 after the apocalypse.
Today, there's good news.
As a result of my father's inquiries via satellite phone, it was confirmed that Kim ssi’s family was alive and staying at a survival camp in Seoul.
Since Willia and I were heading in that direction, it wouldn’t be long before we could help them.
Kim ssi couldn’t stop thanking me, tears streaming down his face, and I comforted him, telling him that everything worked out for the best.
And then today...
-Murmur. Murmur.
“Wow, there are so many people here.”
We arrived in Suwon, the second-largest survival zone in the country after Seoul.
As Willia mentioned, the number of people was astounding.
It was on a whole different level compared to the other survival zones we had encountered so far.
One noticeable change stood out.
[Kim Seong-ho / Level: 23]
[Han Min-young / Level: 18]
[Oh Young-eun / Level: 21]
.
.
The average level of the hunting teams had increased significantly.
There were plenty of people above level 10, and while level 20s were still rare, they were steadily visible.
There were no level 30s to be seen, but I had a feeling there might be some around.
We were currently at Gwanggyo, the larger of Suwon’s two survival camps.
Here, soldiers and civilians mingled, actively trading items and coins they earned from hunting monsters.
It was easy to spot people buying and selling items acquired from monster hunts.
The Gwanggyo survival camp was situated next to a safe zone, and since people could purchase food and daily necessities from the shops, as long as they hunted monsters, they had no issues with daily living.
Even the monster spawning zones were surrounded by walls, similar to Gyeryong Base, making it appear quite safe.
“We’re not done for yet. Korea’s still hanging on.”
Seeing people striving to survive amid the apocalypse brought an involuntary smile to my face.
“Ugh... the smell.”
However, not everything was vibrant and uplifting.
There were faded alleys scattered throughout the streets, and within them, people who looked like homeless beggars stared into space with lifeless eyes.
These were likely people who had lost their families in this apocalypse or had simply lost the will to go on.
It's unfortunate, but I turned my gaze away from them and headed towards the safe zone to register the waypoint.
But then, it happened.
“Alright, everyone! Gather over here!”
[Kim Hyun-soo / Level: 30]
For the first time, I saw someone above level 30.
He appeared to be the leader of a hunting team, standing on top of a abandoned car, calling people over.
A group of people with decent-looking equipment gathered in response to his call. No one there was below level 20.
“We’re going to raid a dungeon today! So...”
Ah, so they’re planning to raid a dungeon.
I watched Kim Hyun-soo idly, without much thought.
“Huh?”
Then, suddenly, his gaze locked onto me, and he fell silent, staring.
As a result, others began to turn their attention toward me as well.
Confused by the situation, I tilted my head, then started to move again with Willia.
But then...
“Seo Baek-ho!”
“???”
Kim Hyun-soo, the man who seemed to be the leader, suddenly shouted my name and lunged toward me.
I was startled, not expecting him to know my name.
“You! You!”
He sprinted across the distance in a single leap and, pointing at me, began yelling excitedly.
“Who are you?”
Of course, I had no idea who he was, so I asked with confusion.
At this, Kim Hyun-soo’s excitement deflated, and he suddenly looked defeated.
“You don’t remember me?”
“No.”
No matter how hard I searched my memory, I couldn’t recall who he was.
“I’m the guy you faced in Kumdo during the National Sports Festival.”
“National Sports Festival? I was eliminated in the first round though?"
“Yeah, and I was your opponent in that first round.”
“...Huh?”
How would I remember that?
***
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