Episode 51
Meanwhile, Taehyun and Ayoung's dungeon raid was going smoothly.
The dungeon, despite its name as a temple, had a staircase structure, and the place the two people were currently passing by was the 12th floor.
"How long on earth does this have to go on? "I have plenty of potions to spare."
Ayoung, who was defeating a monster and extracting a magic stone, grumbled.
As expected, since entering the double dungeon, a total of 24 A-rank monsters have been dealt with so far.
Although the number was not large considering the size of the dungeon, steam was leaking from the monsters that came out little by little as if they were trying to test the liver.
"It's good when you're relaxed like this."
Taehyun said as he put the magic stone extracted from another corpse into the 'Infinite Backpack'.
Sweet.
I took out a fatigue potion from the backpack I was carrying and drank it.
I felt the fatigue that had risen as I moved my body vigorously subsiding quickly.
'nice. This is what it tastes like.'
He suddenly looked refreshed, as if he had just drank an energy drink.
This is because all the monsters I have faced so far have been defeated with the talisman and physical abilities without any special skills.
Even if you have enough potions, it can be said to be an inefficient method of combat when considering the financial aspect.
"Isn't this a waste of effort?"
Ayoung, who had been just watching until now, finally said something.
As you go up the floors, the monsters you face are becoming more and more difficult, but Taehyun still doesn't seem to have any intention of using his skills.
Rather than using new skills, at best you can only use an appropriate mix of 'Stone Skin', 'Stealth', and 'Paralysis'.
'Are you wary of me?'
Since he wasn't hiding his observations, it was a completely understandable reaction.
but.
gulp. gulp.
Taehyun drinks his second bottle of potion without any caution.
Looking at it, it didn't seem like anything in particular.
"It's a kind of training. "The world is too cruel to rely solely on skills."
I shook my head excitedly at the way he spoke playfully.
It was because I couldn't understand Taehyun's way of thinking about suffering for no reason.
"But is it still worth doing the double dungeon?"
What Ayoung was worried about was when dozens of Class A monsters attacked at once.
It's okay once or twice, but if that rush continues, it would be difficult to control the horsepower like now.
'Was it a needless worry?'
It is a double dungeon about which not much has been revealed yet.
Even though we climbed 12 floors.
Considering that no more than two animals appeared, it was not difficult to attack considering its name suggests.
"Don't let down your guard. "There might be a trap or something set up there."
I reminded Ayoung, who seemed to be slowly relaxing, of the possibility of an illusion trap.
Whether it's the Abyss or a dungeon. This is because there is nothing more dangerous than letting your guard down when dealing with monsters.
More than anything.
'There's still a long way to go before we get to the 50th floor.'
Taehyun, who knew that the 'Temple of the Phoenix' was 50 stories high, needed to pay more attention to his partner's condition.
'But since the two of us are together, it's a bit more relaxed.'
If I had been alone without Ahyoung, it would have been impossible to control my magic like I do now.
"Shall we take a little rest?"
"Isn't your lower body too weak?"
"… "Just take a breath and speak."
As he said that, Taehyun sat down first.
At the current speed, six hours is enough to reach the 50th floor.
There was no need to go out of your way to conquer the dungeon.
I opened the status window.
Name: Taehyun Kim
Age: 19
Grade: B
Strength: 121 Stamina: 140 Speed: 103 Horsepower: 180 Charisma: 30
Fatigue: 25%
Remaining horsepower: 160/180
[skill]
Predation (B) – Can prey on the desired target. Horsepower: 40
Stone Skin (B) – Can strengthen the body. Horsepower: 30
Stealth (B) – You can hide your body. Horsepower: 25
Paralysis (B) – Restrains the subject's body. Horsepower: 20
Lord's Heart (B) – Increases party members' abilities. Horsepower: 30
Knight King's Awe (B) – Designate an opponent and overwhelm them with your agility. Horsepower: 35
Chain of Binding (B) – Designates an opponent and binds them. Skill tracking and cancellation are possible. Horsepower: 27
Contract with the Devil (B) – Can open the gate to the Abyss. Magic Power: 200 (1/1)
'Physical ability is improving smoothly.'
The answer I gave to Ayoung a little while ago wasn't just a joke.
Cutting down enemies one by one with a talisman.
That was also to adapt to fluctuating physical abilities.
It was only recently that I lost my strength and speed.
Even before I got used to that body, my strength and stamina stats increased significantly through the 'Warrior's Ring'.
Adapting to your current abilities until you reach the 50th floor is really the same as training.
As a result.
Taehyun, who broke away from the existing speed-oriented battles, has grown to the point where he can fight like a tanker.
'The speed stat is also increasing little by little, so there is no problem.'
Strength, stamina, and magic stats have already exceeded 120.
The speed stat was gradually increasing to adapt to the harsh combat style.
For Ayoung, who did not know the inside story, it was not unreasonable to think that she was on guard.
"It must be a status window that you see every time. Why are you looking at it so closely?"
Ayoung, who had already returned, poked her head in from behind and asked.
"No matter how closely you look at the status window, it's not enough."
Taehyun stood up, reacting calmly to Ayoung's actions.
"This is true. "I heard you often say things that are inappropriate for your age."
"If anyone hears this, they'll think I'm a childish child."
"It's not wrong. "Our 'baby' sometimes feels like the immature yet profound boldness of older men."
"… … ."
Taehyun flinched unconsciously at Yoo Ah-young's meaningless words.
This was the moment when Taehyun showed his greatest vulnerability since entering the dungeon.
Actually, Ayoung, the person involved, did not notice.
* * *
30th floor.
Drake and Sne[jder] came out.
Those who cannot become dragons and stay on earth.
Because it had no wings, its appearance reminded me of a degenerated dragon and Imoogi.
The prevailing opinion is that this monster was placed on the A-grade list based on its physical abilities alone, but it did have one special ability.
[Skill Amazoness' Haki (S) is activated. The skill was invalidated due to the opponent's resistance.]
This is because the magic resistance in the scales was so high that it nullified Ayoung's skill 'Amazone's Awesomeness'.
"Please step back. "I'll handle it this time."
Seeing Ayoung frowning, Taehyun stepped forward using 'Stone Skin'.
Since I had to kill Ayoung's share of monsters, I felt like I would have to stay on this floor for quite a while.
but.
"no. "There's no need for that."
Rather than back down, Ayoung stepped in front of Taehyeon.
Wow.
Green magic bloomed like a haze through her body.
The magic power that was overflowing seemed to stabilize little by little, and then it stuck to my body and became solid.
Rather than simply activating a skill, the magic power itself is wrapped around the body.
It was a sight that could only be seen through the skill 'Body Strengthening'.
'It may be less efficient than the registered skills, but... Still, it's amazing.'
Taehyun, who was watching from behind, was lightly impressed.
A skill is a fixed technique that is expressed through magical power.
As such, if you have a high understanding of technology and magic, any skill is possible to realize.
There were scholars who argued for a plausible hypothesis in the past.
It made so much sense that a school of thought arose, and they repeated numerous experiments on players to prove their claims.
The results of the research were disastrous.
Despite spending an astronomical amount of money and time, a few S-rank players only succeeded in imitating E-rank skills.
Even its power and magic consumption were ridiculously low compared to the skill in question.
The world ridiculed the failure of research.
Scholars revealed that their theory was not wrong and that it was difficult to establish a proper experimental environment.
It is acknowledged that it is close to impossible to embody the attributes of skill with the human mind and body.
The research was halted, revealing only that humans' understanding of magical power was not high.
But even in failure, someone sees possibility.
Research has given many players hints about training and growth.
A top-ranked player who is known for his understanding of magic.
They began to focus their efforts on developing new technologies.
Just like Ayoung right now.
'That's pretty cool, Yoo Ah-young. At this level, it would be equivalent to level A physical strength.'
The consumption of magic power is nothing compared to the skill, but it is not easy to concentrate that much magic power.
In that respect, it was clear that Ayoung was one of the most talented players among S-class players in the world.
"Look carefully, my baby. Those whose skills don't work."
Ayoung's new model came out quickly.
Kwaaaang!!
Kwasik!!
Quad deuk!!
Ten battles went back and forth in an instant.
and.
Cooung.
Cooung.
The two monsters' massive bodies fell and the ground shook.
"Because I can break it with this much force."
Ayoung came down from the corpses of the two monsters and shook the blood off her hands.
Taehyun clapped as he saw that.
"That's a really good method."
I couldn't deny that it was a good sight.
* * *
49th floor.
There were two again this time.
Taehyun and Ayoung looked down at the corpse of the monster they had just defeated and took a breath.
Flames that had not yet been extinguished fluttered around.
It was not an easy struggle for both of them.
"ha… ha… How on earth did this dungeon come to be? "These guys aren't the boss."
Fire Drake (F[re Drake), defeated by Ayoung, and Fire Sneider (F[re Sne[jder), defeated by Taehyun.
Unlike ordinary Drakes and Snyders, it was a monster with fire attributes.
A monster on the S-rank list.
This is a dungeon where even those guys appear as gatekeepers rather than bosses.
Ayoung, who had to engage in a hand-to-hand combat because her skills did not work, was once again aware of the seriousness of the situation.
'If I had dealt with it alone... They must have already taken out the hidden card.'
Ayoung sighed softly.
"Whoa… "Let's get some rest."
Taehyun sat down on the floor and drank the potion.
"… … ."
Unlike Taehyun, who had not yet lost his composure, Ayoung's expression as she inspected her backpack did not look good.
I thought I had packed enough in my infinite backpack.
Since I had been using excessive magic since the 30th floor, there were only a few potions left.
If things continued like this, it was clear that we would run out without even being able to go up three floors.
Taehyun glanced at him and stood up.
It was for collecting magic stones.
"There is no need to pretend to be strong."
"I'm actually strong too."
"Well, I guess so."
"… … ."
"More than that, the rules of this dungeon. "I hope it doesn't apply to the next floor."
"I know. "If it continues like this, there won't be any potions left."
Although Ah-young pretended that nothing was wrong, Tae-hyun knew that her heart was burning.
'Is this coming to an end?'
Directly above is the 50th floor, the top of the 'Temple of the Phoenix'.
The S-class monster Phoenix (Phoen[x), known as the dungeon boss, will be waiting there.
There was no need to comfort Ayoung.