‘How can this be…’
The state of minerals is determined by the dungeon’s difficulty. In 1 or 2-star dungeons, one could mine hundreds of kilograms and find almost nothing of use, whereas in dungeons above a certain difficulty, more than half of the area is covered in valuable materials.
And the mineral zone in the 7-star dungeon they entered today was so rich with high-quality materials scattered everywhere that it could easily be called a ‘golden field.’
However.
Iron Arm’s hands and feet were frozen like a stone statue. Only one part of him was moving. His pupils, which were fixed on Cheon Hae-seon.
‘Beautiful…’
Iron Arm was a warrior before he was a Tanker. He had taken on the role of ‘Tanker’ because of his personality and abilities, but he possessed a rather high level of understanding when it came to combat. He too had once been a Hunter who threw his weight around in normal dungeons.
That was why he knew for certain. Cheon Hae-seon’s movements were on a level that was impossible to explain. It wasn't just about speed.
Iron Arm was focused on his ‘growth.’ It felt like only yesterday that they had caught the Purple Scorpion, yet Cheon Hae-seon had already surpassed the movements he had displayed back then. Iron Arm knew all too well how difficult it was for a Hunter to develop their abilities.
Once Awakened, growth was not easy without a special method. Even if an A-rank Knight poured billions into Ether injections, their growth rate would barely reach three percent. But what about Cheon Hae-seon now?
He was showing a level of growth that was impossible even with a literally astronomical amount of money. He knew that the battle technique he used was different from that of a typical Hunter. That must be how he, a healer, could slaughter Monsters.
But to be honest, his combat ability had been just average. If it weren't for that ‘dagger’ that inflicted fatal wounds with a mere graze, Cheon Hae-seon would not have been able to avoid a tough fight.
Thump!!!
But Cheon Hae-seon had changed. He no longer showed any useless movements. It was so fluid that it looked like a kind of ‘dance.’
Sword dance.
Amidst the towering Golems, Cheon Hae-seon's movements, felling them with a single blow, were literally a work of ‘art.’
‘It has been over ten years since I obtained my Hunter license, but I have never seen a single person grow like Hunter Cheon Hae-seon.’
Without even realizing that Bi-soo was pestering him from the side, Iron Arm was completely absorbed in appreciating Cheon Hae-seon’s godlike movements. I deliberately made my first attack on the Golem’s forearm. It was to see how they would react.
Rip.
Just as I expected, the intelligent Golems tore off their own arms. They had discerned that the spreading poison was no ordinary matter. Thanks to the ‘Purple Scorpion’ that had attacked by cutting off its own tail, I was able to figure out that they too had their own ‘countermeasures.’
Slice.
The location of a Monster’s Core varies greatly from one to another. But if they are of the same ‘species,’ the Core is usually in the same place. Even when I cut off their arms, legs, or even their necks, they would simply sever the affected area and begin to regenerate.
After a few experiments, I was able to confirm the location of the Core. The only place that did not regenerate. It was the area on their right flank.
Whoosh.
Most Golems are slow. If they get injured, they just regenerate, so they adopt a combat style of taking a few hits in order to land one crushing blow. Naturally, this method did not work on me at all.
Now that I had found the location of the Core, they would only sustain ‘unrecoverable wounds.’
Thud.
The sound is much louder than when I walked in this direction. A body the size of a five-story building crashing into the ground would certainly make such a noise. Whether they were swinging their pillar-like arms, roaring in anger, or losing their lives and slamming into the ground, they scattered a thick limestone substance.
Even in their dying moments, they were spraying toxic substances, so it seems the special effect of ‘Spatial Erosion’ was not just an empty name. Any ordinary Hunter would have felt their lungs harden without even realizing they had been poisoned. However, to this body, the ‘King of Poisons,’ not a single hair was harmed.
“Ah, my eyes sting.”
The impact was only enough to make me rub my eyes.
Slice.
Quickly and precisely. I leaped over the Golems, shoving Exa into their flanks. Most Hunter devices would fail to leave a significant wound on them.
It would feel like trying to cut solid concrete with a fruit knife. But a blade formed from ‘Black Ether’ is stronger than most materials. While it couldn't slice through a Golem's body like tofu, it was more than enough to create a wound that penetrated deep inside.
And a wound of that degree was enough for them to, Thump!! The Golems crashed face-first to the ground. -Grooooooar! The last remaining Golem let out a roar filled with fury. -Kkwaang! …Why are you roaring along with it?
Your voice is so tiny. However, I soon realized that Ppori’s roar(?) had another meaning. At the Golem’s roar, other nearby Monsters began to gather one by one.
From low-level mobs that didn’t seem to have any intelligence to species that looked quite strong. It seemed the Golem was trying to gather every mob in the dungeon to face me.
“Saves me some time.”
Slice.
I used ‘Poison Step’ to move between the legs of the last remaining Golem, then immediately leaped up and slashed its flank. Like the others, it fell with a ‘thud,’ and I poured a large amount of Ether into Exa, extending the length of its blade.
“Whew. Feels like I’m cutting stone.”
It seems even their internal organs are made of hard material. It’s going to be a real pain to extract all the Golem Cores here. While the remaining Monsters were gathering one after another, I extracted a single Black Core from a fallen Golem.
I opened my palm, placed Exa on it, and then set the large Black Core on top. Holding the Core, which was larger than a bowling ball, with both hands, I focused my mind.
Shhh.
“Eat as much as you can.”
Some went into Exa’s embrace. And the rest, into my body. As the Black Core converted into Ether, Exa’s blade naturally extended.
The blade continued to lengthen for a while, and then Exa shuddered. Was it about to overload? If I wasn't careful, Exa might just explode. -Kieeeeeek.
Monsters of all kinds surrounded me, each making its own threatening noise.
“Is everyone here?”
As if on cue, countless Monsters simultaneously spewed poison.
Shwaaaaaa.
“Kyaa!!!”
“Hunter Cheon Hae-seon!!!!”
Even the rest of the party, who had been feeling somewhat at ease, seemed shocked by this scene. And for good reason, since I had just taken a shower of poison without any protective gear. The thick smoke created by the poison made it difficult to see the Monsters.
But it didn't really matter. After all, I had fed Exa for the very purpose of wiping out everything around me. I held Exa in a reverse grip and then swung my arm.
The deadliest substance in the world began to spin like a top, launching an indiscriminate slaughter of the area.
P-p-p-pow. -Kieeeeek!!
I caught Exa as it returned like a boomerang and threw it again. Caught the blood-soaked Exa and threw it once more. I repeated the same process until the poison mist cleared.
Soon, the mist lifted, and only a few Monsters remained before my eyes.
“What am I going to do about my clothes?”
Slash.
Since they weren’t crustacean or Golem types, it didn’t matter where I cut them. I finished off the remaining Monsters and then wiped the blood off the Black Ether.
“Hunteeeeeeer-niiim!!”
“Don’t come over.”
“?!”
“This area is the most dangerous place in the world right now.”
This is where hundreds of various Poison-type Monsters have died. If a normal person’s skin were to even touch this smoke, it would melt away.
“Phew. This just won’t do.”
Bi-soo took a machine out of her bag and activated it. At a glance, it looked like a small air purifier, but when she pressed the button, the toxic substances in the vicinity were sucked toward the device.
“Oh…”
I have to admit, her experience with the black market's Poison-type dungeons is respectable. They might not have a Poison-type Hunter like me, but they had their own techniques and know-how to fight against poison.
Pshhhk.
“Wow. This poison is so potent that the machine gave out in less than a minute.”
Bi-soo clicked her tongue and kicked the device. It was broken, but thanks to it, the toxicity had weakened considerably.
“It looks like we won’t be able to move on like this.”
“I suppose not.”
Iron Arm nodded and took a new tracksuit out of his bag. Spare clothes were essential when entering a Poison-type dungeon.
“…Can’t you at least try to look somewhere else?”
“Why? And miss out on this great view?”
Bi-soo cupped her chin with both hands, a mischievous smile on her face. She was the same age as me, but she acted as slyly as a neighborhood uncle.
“Now, now. Miss Bi-soo. The world may have changed a lot, but let’s maintain some manners.”
Iron Arm lifted her up and moved her away, and only then did I change my clothes.
“…It really is potent.”
Looking at the clothes I had discarded on the ground, I was reminded once again of just how powerful the poison I had been drenched in was. It was embarrassing to call them clothes anymore; every single fiber had been destroyed. On the other hand, I had sustained no damage at all.
It was one thing for my internal organs to be fine, but I found it strange myself that even my body hair was completely intact. I wasn't sure if it had never been damaged in the first place, or if it had healed immediately.
“Truly horrifying.”
Iron Arm automatically frowned as he looked at the surrounding corpses and my tattered clothes. He had only heard stories about how potent it was, but now that he had actually experienced the environment of a 7-star dungeon, he seemed completely fed up.
“How much longer is left?”
“About three hours?”
I spoke to Bi-soo in a warning tone.
“Don’t push yourself and wait like last time. Grab what you need and leave first. You should know well enough by now that this is a 7-star level dungeon.”
“What are you talking about? I haven’t even seen the boss Monster yet.”
“Hey. The Golems were 6-star difficulty. Do you think the boss Monster will be weaker than that?”
“I have to confirm it. You know my father’s personality.”
“…”
Hmm.
That was a valid point. What would happen if she reported to Yaksha, ‘It’s definitely 7-star! But I couldn’t confirm the boss Monster!’?
Instead of reducing her debt, he might just smash her head in.
“If it looks impossible, run.”
“I’m always doing that, you know? And who knows? I might be of some help to the stubborn fool.”
“It would be a great help if you just stopped being so cheeky right now.”
“Excuse me…”
In the midst of our bickering, Iron Arm suddenly interjected.
“Your father’s personality… Could it be that you two have… promised your futures to each other?”
“Absolutely not?!”
“We have not.”
Our tones were contradictory, but we gave the same answer, which seemed to confuse Iron Arm even more.
Hey.
Don’t get the wrong idea.
“Let’s get moving.”
We gathered the collected items and Black Cores near the entrance and rechecked our equipment. Now that we had dealt with the minions guarding the dungeon, all that was left was to infiltrate the enemy's main base. The old hag who appraised rare herbs in the black market had told me.
The old hag’s words were true. When I first entered the dungeon. When the Golems’ limestone powder tickled my nose.
When I was showered in the poisons of various Monsters.
‘There was a scent.’
The temptation of a fatal fragrance that I had never smelled before. That scent was still clearly coming from one direction. All my senses were whispering to me.
That beyond the hill, over there, was the master of the 7-star dungeon. And a legendary treasure that I had never seen before. Gold Eternal Flower.
It was definitely there.