The group proceeded down the road with care. As soon as they entered, it was proved that their hunch was spot on. The place they were in was really a dungeon. It was due to encountering monsters inside.
"However… How do these monsters live without food?"
This question is puzzling Zeus ever since they came here. The monsters were of a bipedal lizard type that wields a stone club. Based on fighting one, they assumed its level to be around 40. With their fighting strength, they barely managed to defeat the monsters they encountered.
"At this rate, we'll lose our precious time."
Fighting one monster alone took them over 5 minutes! And after walking several steps, they will encounter another one! Over an hour passed but they haven't even traveled 100 meters yet.
"We need to increase our level. Is that okay?"
"I was just thinking along those lines too."
"I-I don't mind…"
Gaining the approval of his comrades, they performed the level-up simultaneously. Then, they checked their cards.
- - -
Name: Zeus
Level: 6
Experience: 17,522,196/3,200
Rank: 1,104,051,347th
Class: Adventurer
Title: Lightning Fast Hunter
Health: 6,902
Mana: 1,211
Attack: 280
Defense: 457
Strength: 429
Agility: 481
Wisdom: 311
Intelligence: 303
Vitality: 384
Endurance: 399
Concentration: 277
Luck: 190
Evasion: 352
Courage: 182
Persuasion: 120
Fame: 284
Money: 14,562,215 D
Skills:
- Evasion (Lv. 10*)
- Warrior's Heart (Lv. 10*)
- Beast's Roar (Lv. 7)
- Hard Skin (Lv. 4)
- Battle Cry (Lv. 6)
- Unbreakable Will (Lv. 6)
- Quick Draw (Lv. 7)
- Dragon Summon
Status:
Newbie
- You will receive bonus 2x experience for the first 180 hours.
- Commodities will be priced half for you.
- Remaining: 76 hours.
Dungeon Pioneer
- You will receive 2x experience for fighting monsters inside the dungeon.
- Drop rates will increase by 80% for all items.
- Effect will last until you leave the dungeon.
- - -
"Wow! All my stats have almost doubled just now! Amazing!"
Their spam stat is almost reaching the hundreds! Even Marielle who later started was reaching the 40s.
Marielle immediately shouted after confirming her new stats. If both Zeus's and Faye's battle strength currently reaches around level 60, then Marielle would be about level 40.
As she was rejoicing on her new stats, Zeus was contemplating his errors.
"I forgot to take my skill level into consideration… Both Evasion and Warrior's Heart needs a rank-up."
"Mine too… My Increase Mana Skill, Healing Hand, and Holy Light also reached Level 10."
"Then when we finish our Quest, let's immediately head to town. Is that okay?"
"Our loots finally started getting bulky too. Better take care of it as early as possible."
"Then it's decided. We still have around 20 hours left before the quest's time limit. We must maximize this dungeon to its limits but the quest should take priority. Let's go!"
Even with Marielle acting as both their rear guard and porter, they were still slowly overflowing with goods!
They still had the option of letting Hel carry some loot but that was for emergency measures.
The current level of their loot was still within tolerable levels, however, if their pace continued, it would not be too long before all their bags became unbearable.
The group continued traversing the cave. Since it was just a single straight tunnel without branches, it was quite easy. Every 50 meters, there was a large space where many monsters stand guard. They slowly approached the second clearing.
"HAAAAAAH!"
Zeus immediately took the initiative and activated his Beast's Roar. The monsters flinched. Some were unaffected.
He immediately intercepted the monsters, not giving them chance to recover. Faye was providing cover fire sparsely, with generous healing spells and buffs. Marielle shoots arrows at those who tried to pass through Zeus's defense.
Their coordination was perfect. Nobody would think that their party only formed 3 days ago. It was all thanks to their frantic hunting that leaves no time to rest.
In less than 2 minutes, they finished a group of 7 Cavezard. Before, it took them over 20 minutes. The effects of leveling up!
"Whew… Handling these monsters now is easier. The tunnels are straight without forks… With this, we can probably clear this dungeon before sundown…"
It was still morning, in other words, they have more than 10 hours to finish this dungeon in Zeus's estimates. However, considering their extremely fast pace, after 2 hours of hunting, they reached a standstill.
"My speed has gone down…"
"M-Mine too…"
"…"
All their bags, approximately 2 each, were now full to the brim with loot. They have hunted over 400 monsters in a short time and the increased drop rate made their loot become more than what they anticipated.
"… And why is it that both your steeds are still here?"
Yes. Even though the two steeds should have disappeared hours ago, both of them are still following them around. Their respective owners pet them from time to time.
"Even if you ask me…"
"M-Maybe they don't like to leave yet…?"
Even the owners themselves were quite unsure.
"… Wait… Did a new stat appear for the two of you…?"
"Oh right! I didn't tell you but it seems that after petting Sora for hours, I have gained the Steed's Intimacy stat. Right now, it has… 52 points."
"52?! We just summoned them approximately 5 and a half hours ago right?!"
"M-Mine's 44…"
"…"
Steed's Intimacy affects the total time that affects a steed's stay time. Every 10 points mean an increase of 1 hour of stay. However, increasing this stat should have a pace of about 4 points for each and every summon at minimum.
"Arf!"
Then, the dog, rather, the Sphynx Gerald, floated and landed atop Zeus's head. He lay down with his legs spread wide as if relaxing. He looked like a sloth resting on top of a rock.
"Hey… Get down…"
Zeus tried warning Gerald, however, he didn't respond.
When Zeus tried to lift him up, he can't believe how the dog feels so heavy when he tried. Even when he shook his head wildly to the point of earning Faye and Marielle's worry (for Gerald), the Sphynx didn't budge.
"What the heck?!"
"Hahaha! Don't waste your effort, it's useless. That sphynx is currently using magic. Normal means cannot wedge him off your head. Don't worry, it looks good on you!"
After Hel's snide remark, she laughed hard. Even Faye and Marielle are commenting things like 'He looks cute in that position, so it's okay!' or 'I-I didn't think having a dog on your head will have this much effect…' while smiling like idiots.
After a few more tries, he then gave up completely. Zeus didn't know why Gerald suddenly wanted to sit atop his head but having no other choice, he just let it be.
"Since your steeds wouldn't disappear for quite a while, we'll make them carry the loots out. This is a dungeon so the monsters will repopulate after a day or so. The path from here and back will be safe."
"You mean like couriers?"
"You got the point."
"T-Then, I will go with them."
"Me too. I can't let Sora go outside alone. That's dangerous."
"… Suit yourself. However, I will continue hunting here."
"Then, we'll be back as soon as we can. Since we're dropping by the town, I think I'll go ahead and rank up my skills too."
"Please do. Also, don't forget to buy some provisions. It's the list I made you memorize, the one for dungeons."
"That one right? Don't worry."
"Since you two are going out, when you came back, all last hits will be done by me. The Dungeon Pioneer buff will vanish when you leave the dungeon's vicinity so only I will have the buff."
The Dungeon Pioneer buff is a bonus EXP buff that the party that found the dungeon receives. It lasts until the players come outside the dungeon so most players who got the buff try to clear the whole dungeon before exiting to not waste the buff.
"Then there's not much change, right? Stop that useless worrying."
After being scolded lightly, Zeus watched as the two girls rode their steeds with large bags mounted. When they vanished on the far end, Zeus heaved a small sigh.
Losing his light source, he immediately lit a flare. He also took the unused flares from Faye so overall, he still has 6 pieces.
"Hel, you can't fight right?"
"Yeah. So don't count on me."
"Don't worry, I wasn't. Just keep up with me and do nothing."
Zeus then started running toward the enemies ahead. When he reached around 10 meters away, he then used a skill.
"Dragon Summon!"
Slyfer immediately materialized in front of him together with a gust of wind. His form was now a bit larger than before. About twice his previous size. However, he was still as small as a dog.
"What do you need?"
"Due to leveling, I have enough mana to keep you around for 48 seconds. Fight to your heart's content!"
His Living Weapon, the Black Magic Iron Sword, was now around level 9 or so. Due to the increase in rank, the mana cost turned to half. Also, due to leveling up, his current mana was over 1,200. Since he doesn't have a skill that consumes large mana except for the Dragon Summon, there's no risk in running out of mana.
Slyfer, receiving the order, immediately acted.
Blades of wind flew down the cave, slashing at anything along its path. When the wind deals a critical blow on a vital part, the monsters immediately died. However, most of the time, monsters were able to survive the barrage. Zeus just run down straight, slashing endlessly at monsters.
"Hahahahah! Give me all your precious EXP! Give me all your Items!"
His speech, if a third party is listening, would claim that it's a speech of a rotten leader.
Faye and Marielle, being in the same party, received experience for every kill that Zeus does. However, since they are far away, the experience is reduced. Marielle, who was looking at her card immediately noticed the weird phenomenon.
"F-F-Faye! My experience is increasing rapidly! What's going on?!"
"Let it be. Probably, Zeus switched to possessed hunting mode. He won't stop till all monsters in that place died."
Knowing Zeus over many games, she had memorized his perks. Faye too took out her card to look. The experience really is increasing like a meter. It increases at a rate of 1,000 every second.
"We better hurry or else Zeus will finish the dungeon alone…"
"Y-Yes…"
And so, the two asked their steeds to double their current speed.
Zeus too increased his pace much more. Right now, experience and loot are flowing like a river for him. He had 4 more bags in possession currently, which he picked up as random loot from monsters. Of the four, two were filled already. He was now a little troubled about what to do. Then, an idea came to him.
"The magic bag can store items many times its size with less weight… What if I place a Magic Bag inside another Magic Bag?"
"Another exploit!"
After trying, it succeeded! The bag was placed inside another bag, lowering the weight by 1/16th of the original.
"HAHAHAHA! I should have realized this earlier!"
He laughed maniacally.
Due to the regeneration of his mana, Slyfer lasted for almost 1 minute before disappearing. So, his hunting speed slowed down significantly for quite a while.
That was only until his mana completely recovered. When on standby, his mana regenerates at a rate of around 5 points per second. In other words, it will take roughly 4 minutes for it to recover fully.
However, since he didn't stop hunting, his mana regeneration slowed, and took 6 minutes before it was full. Just at that moment, he summoned Slyfer and rampaged around the cave.
When Slyfer's summon ended, Zeus would hunt the monsters quickly but carefully. Using the cave's structure and his high agility, he moves quickly and jumps through the walls and even the ceiling. A three-dimensional way of fighting inside a cave.
Each hit he release is a critical hit. Always hitting the vitals of the monsters. With this strategy, no monster lasted over 5 seconds against him.
After repeating this cycle 3 times, he reached the end of the road.
"… Another door?"
In front of Zeus, a large double door blocked his path.
Unlike the first, this door is covered with intricate carvings. It was more like a mural. A recollection from the past.
"..."
As he was appraising the door, he heard footsteps coming from behind.
Since he was inside the cave, the sound echoes around. Based on the volume of the sound, they are almost at his position.
Proving his hypothesis, he saw a faint light far away from the tunnel. It was the girl's group.
"Ohh, your lackeys have returned. They're quite quick."
"… They have steeds with them, this much should be normal…"
"Arf!"
The cute little Sphynx was still sticking above his head. Even if he fought recklessly, the dog didn't let go. It was to the point that Zeus tried to direct the monster's attacks to it but miraculously, missed every time.
Since he was now at the end of the road, he decided to sit down and wait for the others first. As he sat down, he checked the status of his sword.
"I have been using it for quite a while… What level is it now…? Item Information!"
- - -
Black Magic Iron Sword – Level 10* (00.00%)
A sword that was created by the dwarf blacksmith Gruin. This sword contains the soul of a dragon and has incredible and never fading sharpness. As long as the gem is safe, this sword's durability will never drop.
Type: Magic Weapon
Element: Wind
Durability: 1/1
- Attack +68
- Agility +30
- Damage will double when hitting a vital point.
- The mana consumption of Dragon Summoning will use half the original mana cost.
- This sword contains a soul of a living being. Therefore, it will grow together with it's user.
- Has the blessing of the Earth God. It will feel as light as feather, hiding its incredible weight.
- Optional Quest: You can now unravel the mystery of Slyfer's death. If successful, a more powerful bond will form between the summoner and the summonned; summoning will use only 1 mana per second.
- - -
"Gah… So even the sword is stuck at level 10… Better ask how to upgrade this…"
As a gamer, letting your experience be wasted is not permitted. So for Zeus, having left his skills, even his sword, unchecked is a grave blunder on his part.
Go to the town and upgrade the skills at once!
As he was thinking this and cheering for himself, the girls finally arrived.
"… You really cleared it all till the end…"
"I told you. I will not apologize though."
"… Okay, okay. You can keep the loot if you want. I already have over 20M now so I don't think it matters."
"W-Wow… Mine's still at 4Million Darks…"
WORLD!!! WHY ARE YOU SO UNFAIR!!!
As Zeus was cursing his fate, he didn't have enough composure to ask Faye how she collected that large amount of money. His current money was only around half of Faye's!
At most, his part from selling the loots before barely reached 300K. That is after separating it equally among them.
However, Sora and the Pegasus Felix were still carrying bags filled with goods. The contents? The items that Zeus asked for. Items to be used for hunting boss monsters.
"… *Sigh*… As you both can see, this door here seems to be the boss room. Earlier, I found traces of clothes on the ground so without a doubt, our mission is also inside."
"Do you know of the monster here?"
"No. But based on the level of the mobs along the way, we may be fighting a level 65 to 70 boss."
"C-Can we win…?"
Considering the difference in levels, Marielle couldn't help but worry. However, Zeus shouted in retort.
"OF COURSE! I will never lose in any battle!"
"Then what's the plan?"
"For the first part, as normal, it will be for scouting. Until he uses all his moves, we will prioritize evading. After that, we'll wing it."
"W-Wing it?!"
"You mean ad-libbing on a boss battle?"
"Yeah. That's what those items are for."
Zeus said as he pointed towards the loads behind the two girls. The two girls followed his gaze, then returned.
"… I don't know what you're thinking…"
"Of course! If you could read my every move, then that's something else altogether!"
Even Marielle was doubtful. The two girls bought the items so they knew that all of it is items for dungeon exploration. They don't know how he could use it in a fight.
"Just listen closely to my instructions. If you do that, our winning percentage will double."
"And how many percent is that?"
"… From 20% to 40?"
"I-I-It didn't even reach 50-50?!"
"Hahaha! Don't worry! As long as we have a winning chance, there's no way we will lose!"
"Don't laugh! It's not funny!" Faye retorted.
And so, as the group quarreled, Zeus touched the panel carefully. Marielle and Faye, Hel and the steeds were all standing a safe distance away.
As predicted, the door swung forcefully outwards. Zeus stood in the middle, where the two doors couldn't reach, so he was unscathed.
"LET'S GO!"
As he shouted, the group charged inside. Zeus immediately threw his last flare inside. Faye used her continuous healing spell. Illuminated by the combination of red and green light, a large figure was seen standing in the middle of the large space.
It looks like a lizard with its scaly body combined with a long and thick tail. On its chest was a tough-looking set of black scales that looks like a set of armor. Its two pairs of eyes glittered with a red gleam.
Then, it opened its large mouth, filled with jagged sharp teeth, and roared loudly.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!"
"GUH!"
"U-UWAH!"
"TSK…"
The three were surprised after being hit with the shockwave of its shout. Hel, on the other hand, seemed to be a little amused.
"PROVE YOUR WORTH HERE AND NOW, O BRAVE WARRIOR THAT I HAVE CHOSEN!!!"
She then stood at the far back and shouted those overbearing words. She absolutely had no plan of participating in the fight.
Hearing her words, Zeus felt like retorting, however, he was currently preoccupied.
He was assessing the current battlefield. Then, he noticed, on the far left, a man was lying beside a mountain of what looked like junk.
"FAYE!!! TO THE LEFT! RECOVER!!!"
"OKAY!!!"
Just those few words were enough for him to pass the message. He immediately charged in front of the monster and roared hard, this time, using War Cry.
"FIGHT WITH ME! YOU SLITHERY COWARD!"
After attracting the enemy's attention, an attack quickly followed.
Zeus saw the motion but didn't have enough time to evade it. He was hit directly! He flew for a few meters, bounced, and rolled off the ground before finally landing on his two legs.
"Ouch… That hurts like hell…"
The pain he felt after receiving the solid attack was something that almost blacked out his consciousness. His health dropped by over 50% with just that hit.
"Tsk. He's quite good."
The reason Zeus couldn't avoid it in time was that he was attacked when he was switching his center of balance while running. That split-second delay cost him more than half his health.
After regaining his breath, he ran to the monster that was standing still, waiting for him.
"Faye! Phase 1! Throw the flares! Radial! 30 degrees, Netted!"
After Faye dropped Tyler near Hel, she heard Zeus's voice. She then quickly realized his aim and ran towards the steeds where their items were.
"Hah!"
She then skillfully threw the flares around the monster. At first, it was at a radius of 5 meters from the monster, then 8 meters, 12 meters, 17 meters, and 23 meters. The center of the cave was filled with flares floating about 3 meters above the ground.
"ALL SET!"
As she shouted, Zeus jumped back from the monster. They were locked in close-quarter combat while Faye was throwing the flares. The over 5-meter monster loses its bearing every time a flare was lit.
Marielle too wasn't just standing. When a chance could be seen, she would shoot 3 arrows at a time toward the monster's eyes or head. The monster either evaded or parried using its large stone club.
It was a chaotic battlefield even if they only had a single enemy. And within that battlefield, Zeus was commanding the flow of battle.
His health was now a little over 75%. Since Aurora Heal was active, Zeus's health was recovering slowly but surely.
The monster too hadn't landed an attack after the first one. Even if it was faster than Zeus, each swing was large and easy to read. As long as he didn't let his guard down, there was no problem.
Sparks flew every time the club was parried by his sword. The force of the impact was enough to knock the air out of his lungs. Redirecting the impact of an attack is a high-level move for swordsmen, and Zeus is pulling it off cleanly and continuously.
After the intense battle lasted about a minute, Zeus distanced himself and hid behind the lights.
"OKAY! PHASE 2!!!"
And so, the real battle starts.