Chapter 53: Raid (2)
TL: Hanguk
We opened the door to a room where we suspected a Named monster might be in the second stage of the Underground Labyrinth dungeon.
“If it’s not even a Boss, and a Named monster is occupying the room...”
“That means, at the very least, it’s not a normal level of difficulty.”
Willia, seemingly of the same mind, picked up where I left off.
For now, the second stage of the Underground Labyrinth is the highest in both difficulty and level among the dungeons we've challenged so far.
Even the normal monsters here are level 40 at minimum, and there are ones that reach level 45.
In other words, any Named that appears here would be at least level 50.
And based on the level of the Named, we can also estimate the level of the Boss Monster, so depending on the results of this Named subjugation, we might postpone clearing the dungeon for safety.
Anyway, our goal wasn't to clear the dungeon, but to investigate and search for treasure chests.
‘Still, well... with our current strength, we should be more than capable of handling it.’
Although our level is only 48, thanks to our enhanced gear, we evaluate our actual combat power to be close to level 70.
Of course, if we look at just the raw Stats, our level might appear to be above level 70, but I think it's natural law that equipment quality improves as level increases.
If the level is high, they'll be wearing equipment appropriate to that level, and naturally, the monsters’ levels should be adjusted accordingly.
[Named Mummy Royal Guard Akan / Level: 55]
I don't know about normal monsters, but at least for Named and above, I believe my prediction holds true.
The proof stood right before our eyes in the form of a Named monster.
It was the first time I’d seen a Named monster over level 50.
Akan, a mummy wielding an unusually long saber, was cloaked in a black aura and had blood-red glowing eyes.
I can say with confidence, it possessed an aura that was incomparable to any monster I’d encountered before.
[If you wish to live, it would be wise to flee now.]
Then the monster lowered its stance with the sword still sheathed. The posture was almost identical to the battōjutsu stances often seen in manga.
‘Back in the days when I had a bit of chuunibyou, I used to practice battōjutsu at the kendo dojo too.’
Battōjutsu is a technique that divides opinions.
Some say it’s impractical; others believe it has merit.
But leaving past debates aside, in a world where fantasy elements are now reality, there’s definitely a reason for taking such a stance.
“If we were going to leave, we wouldn’t have entered this room in the first place.”
[Foolish.]
The creature sneered.
Then Akan’s figure, wrapped in bandages and golden ornaments, began to blur, and a bright red sword aura shot out like a laser.
It was a swift strike, faster than any attack I had seen before.
“Divine Shield.”
Willia deployed Divine Shield in the attack path to block Akan’s strike.
-Clang!
But Willia’s shield couldn’t block it in the slightest.
The red line kept flying toward me at its original speed.
‘So an Intermediate Shield gets torn like paper.’
This meant it wasn’t just fast, it carried immense destructive power as well.
In response to that attack, I deployed a sword barrier.
-KWAANG!
-KAANG!
Unfortunately, the sword barrier was also pierced without mercy.
However.
[Impressive.]
“That’s intense.”
Akan’s battōjutsu was ultimately blocked by my sword, which was imbued with sword aura.
Though the pressure transmitted through my fingertips pushed my body back uncontrollably, I quickly regained my posture.
-Thud!
[Kuk! You crazy bastard, what strength is this.]
Then, while our swords were locked, I pushed hard and flung the Named monster back.
Akan had excellent technique and powerful one-hit skills.
But at least in terms of stats, it seemed I had the upper hand.
“You act all high and mighty, so you deserve a punch.”
Instead of increasing distance, I closed in on him.
“Heal!”
Willia used Heal, an effective counter against undead, to disrupt Akan’s movements.
Though an Intermediate-level regular Heal could only make a level 55 Named flinch slightly, in a battle where sword strikes are exchanged in fractions of a second, even that small opening couldn’t be ignored.
-Slice!
My sword cut right through Akan’s collarbone.
Akan, clearly surprised, quickly retreated to create distance.
A back-and-forth exchange.
However, I didn’t take any damage at all, while only my opponent suffered damage.
[Interesting.]
But then.
In this situation, the guy spat out a line that felt all too familiar.
Unable to hold back, I asked Akan,
“You’re not about to say something like, ‘Now I’ll fight with all my strength’, right?”
[.......It won’t be easy from now on.]
“Seriously? Even if you change the line, it means the same thing.”
Sure enough, the guy didn’t stray from my expectations and delivered a textbook line.
On top of that, he even added some unnecessary explanation.
[I have no intention of dragging this out. I’ll quickly take your head. If you survive for one minute, the victory is yours.]
Simply put, wasn’t it this?
He was going to use some kind of combat power enhancement skill that only lasts a minute?
The kind of skill that, once it ends, applies a penalty and gives me a clear advantage.
I let out a hollow laugh at the kind explanation and decided to observe just how strong he would get.
-Fwoosh!
A moment later, the black aura radiating from that explanation-happy Akan started turning red, like his glowing eyes.
Then.
-KWAANG!
“Guh!”
As if to prove his previous boasting wasn’t just talk, the red aura trailed in afterimages before my eyes and attacked at an unbelievable speed.
Blocking the first attack was purely instinct.
A reflexive action, similar to the time I deflected bullets with my sword.
Of course, Akan is slower than a bullet.
But unlike a bullet that flies in a straight line, his attacks could change trajectory, which meant defending against them wasn’t any easier than swatting bullets with a sword.
-Twitch.
Then came a tingling sensation on the left side of my neck.
I hurriedly twisted my neck and brought my sword there, and a red sword aura grazed my face alongside my blade.
-Ting!
Fortunately, I had the Light-Woven Helmet on my head.
A special conceptual piece of gear that couldn’t be felt even when touched by hand.
That helmet had protected my face from his attack.
This was a first.
Getting dragged around by an opponent using the same weapon type and not being able to mount a proper counterattack.
‘Damn it.’
I, too, have a skill that lets me move at high speed.
In fact, I have Blink, a skill that allows for instant spatial movement.
But in a battle like this, Blink seemed difficult to use recklessly.
Akan’s attacks were lightning-fast, and his movements were erratic.
‘No wonder he’s confident in this skill.’
But maybe it was because his first two consecutive attacks had failed?
The guy looked noticeably flustered.
Suddenly, he shifted his target from me to Willia.
As the red light approached, Willia shouted calmly,
“Advanced Shield.”
She had activated the built-in skill of the Karcia’s Robe, which we had recently obtained.
-BOOM!
The strongest defense among the shield skills we currently possessed, Advanced Shield.
And for the first time, the shield actually managed to do its job against Akan’s movements.
Although cracks formed all over the shield, it completely blocked the red sword strike and managed to freeze his movements for a split second.
“Nice, Willia-nim!”
A perfect moment for Blink had finally appeared.
I didn’t miss that fleeting opportunity, using Blink to appear behind Akan, I unleashed a Slash.
‘Mighty Slash.’
-KWAANG!
[Kuh!]
A powerful skill erupted, shattering the floor beneath us.
Unfortunately, Akan had already vanished, scattering red aura as he did, but I heard a faint groan, so I could tell I had landed some degree of damage.
And then.
‘I can see him.’
Whether it was because his leg had taken damage, or because my eyes had finally adjusted, I could now catch glimpses of Akan’s movements.
-Swish!
Of course, just seeing him didn’t make it easy to respond to his attacks.
The price of that was.
-FWOOSH!
[Hahaha!]
My left arm was severed and fell.
Akan burst into laughter as if to ask if I had seen that.
“Keep laughing while you can.”
But in exchange for losing an arm, I succeeded in slicing the guy’s neck.
An attack where I gave up bone to take flesh.
Akan belatedly realized something was wrong and wore a stunned expression, but soon after, his head spun once in place and fell to the floor with a dull thud.
[You have defeated Named Mummy Royal Guard Akan and gained 68,000 EXP.]
[You have gained 25,000 EXP for being the first to defeat the Mummy Royal Guard.]
I didn’t level up, but I was now right on the verge of doing so.
After reading the EXP messages, I turned my eyes to the loot Akan had dropped.
Since it was a first-time defeat, there was a pretty high chance of a Skill Book dropping. I was hoping the skill that boosted his stats at the end would appear.
[Reward for defeating Named Mummy Royal Guard Akan is being distributed.]
-You have acquired 15,700 Coins.
-You have acquired 3 Intermediate Healing Potions.
-You have acquired 3 Inventory Slots.
-You have acquired Akan’s Saber.
[The first subjugation reward of Mummy Royal Guard is being distributed.]
-You have acquired 4,000 Coins.
-You have acquired the Skill Book: Frenzy.
Reading through the rewards line by line, I let out a cheer.
“Ooh!”
[Akan’s Saber / Hand-and-a-half Curved Sword / Grade: Special]
-The saber used by Akan, specialized for rapid swordplay.
-Agility +4
-When using Battōjutsu, maximum sword speed increases by 30%.
-Embedded Skill: Flash Slash
[Flash Slash / Advanced Skill / Active]
-Executes a powerful and swift slashing attack infused with sword aura, during a horizontal slash or Battōjutsu.
-Mana Cost: 3
[Frenzy / Premium Skill / Active]
-Increases all stats by 50% for 1 minute.
-Frenzy cannot be stacked.
-Once the skill ends, all stats are decreased by 50% for 30 minutes as a penalty.
-Mana Cost: 5
This was a reward of exceptional quality.
Akan’s Saber had stats similar to the Zerka’s Sword I’d been using, but it was a highly distinctive weapon overall.
As a main-grade weapon equivalent to Zerka’s Sword, it would be good to alternate between the two depending on the situation.
‘The more weapons, the better. Especially when they’re this unique.’
And on top of that, the skill I had been hoping for dropped.
Its name: Frenzy.
A skill that increases all stats by 50% for one minute. It became my second Premium skill after Blink.
Though the skill incurs a hefty 30-minute penalty after one minute of use, making it too costly to spam, it would become a powerful trump card in critical moments.
Thanks to that, I burst out laughing.
“Hahaha!”
Willia looked at me with a worried expression and asked,
“Even if you’re happy with the rewards, shouldn’t you treat your injury first? Doesn’t it hurt?”
“Huh?”
Only then did my gaze turn to my torn-off left arm.
"Kyaaaaaak!"
Whether due to an endorphin rush or not, only after seeing the wound with my own eyes did the massive pain surge through me, forcing me to roll on the floor.
“Wi, Willia-nim.”
For amputations, at least an Intermediate Healing level is required.
So I called out to Willia, and with a soft laugh, she took out one of the Intermediate Healing Potions I had distributed just in case from her inventory and poured it on my wound.
Just like magic, my left arm regenerated, and the intense burning pain vanished completely.
"I thought I was going to die."
“I was surprised too. I thought you didn’t feel pain for a moment, Baek-ho nim.”
“Ha, haha.”
Every reward this time was perfectly suited for me.
So I glanced over at Willia, and.
“Each reward matches the individual. Anyone can see that this one was meant for you, Baek-ho nim, so you don’t have to worry about me.”
“A-a true angel.”
“Hehe!”
I restocked the Intermediate Healing Potion she used and began inspecting Akan’s room.
I wondered if there might be a hidden treasure chest somewhere.
“Oh!?”
Sure enough, I discovered a hidden space with a treasure chest.
[You have acquired Safety Tent (Extra-Large).]
[You have acquired 7,500 Coins.]
I was able to obtain a second Safety Tent.
“An Extra-Large Safety Tent?”
If the original Safety Tent had an interior space of 3m x 2m x 2m, suitable for about 2-3 people,
then this Extra-Large Safety Tent measured 5m x 5m x 3m, spacious enough to comfortably accommodate six people.
“I can give the regular Safety Tent to my mother and father.”
“That’s a great idea.”
We use the Safety Tent often, but for my parents, unless it’s a real emergency, they’d rarely have the need to use one.
So even if I gave them a smaller one, it wouldn't matter.
Since the Safety Tent prevents monsters from approaching, it would still protect my parents more securely in a crisis.
Though it wasn’t the group teleportation Waypoint item I’d been hoping for, it was still a satisfying gift.
‘Speaking of which, Mom, Dad...?’
Once again, Willia’s words sent me drifting off into a world of imagination.
-Beep.
But just then.
An unexpected message alert pulled me out of my daydreams.
[The holder of Scenario Fragment No. 2 has sent you a message.]
‘Come to think of it, there was a feature that allowed Scenario Fragment holders to exchange messages.’
I already knew who the holder of Scenario Fragment No. 2 was.
Despite the fact that messages could be sent anonymously, he had confidently revealed his identity, Kang Yi-sol, Division Chief of the First Strategy Division under the Nation Revival Agency, a direct organization under the President.
From our first meeting, when he foolishly ended up inside a monster’s stomach, I’ve seen him as a bit of a klutz.
Wondering what this was about, I opened his message.
[Holder No. 2]
-Hello, Seo **-nim. I’m Kang Yi-sol, Division Chief of the First Strategy Division of the Nation Revival Agency.
I apologize for the sudden message.
If I may be so bold, would it be possible for us to have a brief conversation at your convenience?
I kindly ask for your reply.
An overly polite message.
As someone who preferred not to get involved with the government, I considered ignoring it outright, but I was too curious about what could make him come to me in such a humble tone, so I decided to reply.
Even if I was going to ignore him, it wouldn’t hurt to hear what he had to say first.
*****
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