The jungle of the Canyon map, despite its name, resembled a typical forest. The paths within the jungle were well-trodden and even, akin to a park trail. However, the presence of massive monsters scattered throughout made it impossible for Silver players, whose maximum level was only 50, to pass through.
As Seong Jihan entered the jungle, he was immediately greeted by a massive two-headed wolf. The wolf, standing at a height of 3 meters, charged at Seong Jihan upon sight. This was the Twin-Headed Wolf, considered one of the weakest jungle monsters. Even so, its level was 65, meaning a party of three would typically collaborate to defeat it. However…
Nameless Divine Arts, Triad of Martial Mastery: Mount Tai Suppression
As the Phoenix Stance sliced through the air, the charging wolf was split in half. Such a ferocious beast, now meeting an unassuming end. Soon after,
A grey smoke emerged from the wolf's carcass, which was then absorbed into Seong Jihan.
[The energy of the Twin-Headed Wolf has been absorbed.]
[All stats are enhanced by 5%.]
The blessings from the jungle monsters varied depending on their level, but a minimum of a 5% stat enhancement was guaranteed. If one hunted jungle monsters quickly, they could stack buffs faster than by killing 50 minions.
[You've achieved the 'Silver League Jungler (1)' feat.]
[You've earned 1,000 achievement points.]
'1,000… Not bad.' The 'Silver League' prefix in the achievement indicated the high difficulty of a Silver player defeating the monster alone.
'Let's clear our jungle first.'
Nameless Divine Arts Footwork Technique: Flashing Sky Thunder Steps
Seong Jihan's figure vanished like a lightning bolt, quickly clearing the jungle area between the mid and top lane.
The viewers of Seong Jihan's jungle stream experienced a dizzying pace. As he moved swiftly through the forest,
"Kiii!"
Suddenly, a monster would leap out, only to be swiftly defeated by Seong Jihan's Phoenix Stance. Then, Seong Jihan would move again at lightning speed, clearing the entire northwest jungle area within minutes.
With some time remaining before the monsters respawned, Seong Jihan thought, 'Now, time for some kills.' Before heading to another jungle area, securing a first kill seemed like a good plan. While the enemy players at the top lane were hiding near their tower, the mid and bottom lanes were still fiercely battling.
'A swift ambush is the most effective support.'
Just as Seong Jihan planned to ambush the mid lane,
[You've achieved the First Kill.]
[You've earned 100 achievement points.]
A sudden notification informed him of his first kill, even though he hadn't encountered any enemy players while jungling.
'Could it be…?'
Seong Jihan immediately thought of Ariel, whom he had summoned earlier.
* * * * *
Top lane
After Seong Jihan left the lane, the female warrior was left with his small dark elf summon, Ariel. She steeled herself, thinking, 'Jihan's summon can't be that strong. I have to step up.' The opposing team seemed to have the same mindset as they, along with their angel minions, began advancing onto the battlefield.
"Ugh, why is Seong Jihan so strong?"
"This game is ridiculous. There's no balance."
"Hmph… Let's push while he's not here."
The Angel side's top tower had already lost half its durability. To regain balance in the game, the opposing players decided to be aggressive. The female warrior, worried for Ariel, warned, "Be careful, Lord Ariel!"
"Lowest-tier creature, Are you telling me to be cautious?"
"Yes, you should be. Stay back."
Ariel sighed at the warrior's concern. It was humiliating for a divine entity like her to be cautioned by such a low-tier being. Ariel approached the advancing angel minions, not avoiding them, but instead stretching out her hand, "Rise, shadows."
The shadows beneath the angel minions began to shift, and like before, a shadow sword emerged, piercing the back of an angel minion. However, the sword was small, barely the size of a human finger.
"The power left is insufficient!"
"Maybe because you used it all on one? Handle them one by one."
"…Fine."
It was utterly humiliating for Ariel. But the female warrior was right. Ariel had to choose her targets wisely. The enemy players took note of Ariel's actions and began to be more wary.
"She seems strong."
"Keep an eye on the shadows."
The early skirmishes were tense. But as time passed, Ariel's power grew, especially as Seong Jihan continued to gain buffs from the jungle.
"Lord Ariel… you're getting bigger?"
"The low-tier creature in the jungle is getting stronger."
Every time Seong Jihan got stronger from the jungle, Ariel too felt the effects. The number of shadow swords she could summon also increased.
"Damn. The summon… it's getting stronger?"
"We need to take her down first."
"…Agreed. If she gets any stronger, we won't stand a chance."
The enemy players, realizing Ariel's growing strength, decided to prioritize taking her down. They pretended to engage with the minions, and then suddenly,
"Fireball!" The enemy mage launched a surprise attack on Ariel.
Ariel tried to dodge, but the enemy warrior used his "Charge" skill to close the distance. With a shield bash, he incapacitated Ariel, and the mage's fireball hit her directly.
A loud explosion ensued, and Ariel's form was torn apart, scattering on the ground.
"Yes!" The enemy players exclaimed, relieved that they managed to defeat Ariel, thinking it was easier than they had anticipated.
'Almost got overwhelmed while being distracted.' It was fortunate that he had acted swiftly. However, this was just a misconception.
Thud!
"Huh?"
Suddenly, a dark sword was deeply embedded in the warrior's chest. Despite the armor he wore, the sword pierced straight through, targeting only the heart.
"How…?"
Thud!
The warrior's body fell to the ground, turning into smoke and vanishing. In its place, shadows writhed, and Ariel, with her expressionless face, emerged.
"It really is fatal if the heart is pierced. You truly are… a lowest-tier creature." She mused, reflecting on the human race. 'The foundation is so weak… No matter how talented they are, how can they ever reach the highest tier starting from the lowest?' Ariel began to think the main body had made a mistake in choosing.
'But… what's this?'
Ariel looked at herself. She had taken some damage from the enemy players earlier and expected to decrease in size. But strangely, she felt no significant impact. In fact, she was growing larger.
"Lord Ariel… you've grown?"
She could now handle more than three shadow swords simultaneously.
"Wow, seriously? Why is even the summon is this strong? This game is insane!"
Even the fleeing mage was easily dispatched by Ariel.
"Um… I think we can push the tower with just us," the female warrior remarked, incredulously watching the events unfold. Ariel tilted her head, "Why aren't you attacking?"
"I'm melee, if I attack that close, I'll die."
Ziiing!
The female warrior pointed to the beams of light emerging from the tower. Ariel narrowed her eyes, "Show-off, lowest-tier species." Yet, Ariel too did not approach the tower.
* * *
Meanwhile…
[You've achieved the 'Silver League Jungler (2)' feat.]
[You've earned 2,000 achievement points.]
Seong Jihan had cleared the southwest jungle of the demon camp and was now crossing the central stream of the Canyon map.
'If I clear the angel camp's jungle monsters too, a hidden achievement should pop up.'
And as he thought, a notification appeared.
[Hidden quest, 'First Conquest of the Jungle' has been cleared.]
[You've earned 10,000 achievement points.]
'Good. Time to wrap up the game.' With no more achievements left in the jungle, he decided to push the mid lane since Ariel seemed to be handling well. As Seong Jihan moved towards the mid-lane, following the stream, a steep canyon appeared on his left with a violet pool of water, reminiscent of a lake.
'In the higher league's Canyon map, a boss monster appeared there.'
He thought it was named Count Nasheed. Seong Jihan gazed at the pool for a moment, and as he shifted his gaze towards the mid-lane, a new notification popped up.
[Linked quest, 'Traces of the Apostle (1)' has been unlocked.]