Chapter 14

As soon as Carpe tried to enter the dungeon, he was greeted by two notification windows.

[Dungeon 'King Squirrel’s Nest' entry attempt.]

[Dungeon rating is being determined.]

“Rating determination?”

-There are rarely any dungeons in Rasel where the rating is randomly set.

Mostly, this trend is common in hidden dungeons. Even if it’s the same dungeon, the higher the rating, the more difficult and rewarding it becomes.

“So, you’re saying that the Unique 'King Squirrel’s Nest' is harder and has better rewards than the Rare 'King Squirrel’s Nest'?”

-You catch on fast, probably because you’ve played a lot of games.

Even if the dungeon rating increases, the types of monsters don’t change much.

The same monsters appear in a more enhanced form, and the number of traps in the dungeon increases.

-In Legendary-rated dungeons, there’s even a chance for mutant creatures to appear... but, you don’t really need to worry about that. I only saw a Legendary dungeon nine times in over ten years of playing Rasel.

“...That’s a pretty subtle number. But how high is a Legendary rating?”

-It’s really high.

There are six ratings in Rasel.

A very common and standard system: Normal-Magic-Rare-Hero-Unique-Legendary.

-...Most people know this, but that’s only because this is all that’s been revealed. In reality, there are three more ratings above Legendary.

Epic (Epic) and Myth (Myth).

Above Legendary is Epic, and above that is Myth.

These two ratings can’t be encountered through regular hunting or exploration. They only appear very, very rarely when you’re on a major quest that affects the game’s storyline.

“Question.”

-What is it?

“Is the method to obtain those extremely rare Epic and Myth items written in the veteran’s guide?”

-Do you want to know?

“Yes, I really want to know.”

-Well, who knows? If you just follow my advice, you might be wearing a few Epic items a few months from now. For now, let’s focus on leveling up.

“Of course. Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty. The Demon King’s Rebirth! The Demon Sect’s Reign!”

-...Stop with the Demon King stuff. It’s embarrassing.

“By the way, Demon King.”

-You really don’t listen to people, do you?

“Didn’t you say there were three more ratings above Legendary? What’s the last one?”

-I don’t know.

“Huh?”

Surprised by the unexpected answer, Carpe looked at the Demon King. The Demon King sighed and continued.

-I thought Myth was the highest until recently. But while progressing through a hidden quest, I found a clue that suggested there was a higher rating.

Finding that clue was a miracle, a series of coincidences that could be called a miracle.

A miracle that I couldn’t even imagine during my seven regresses.

When I found that clue, I was so moved that my body trembled. Maybe it would end this tiresome regression.

-So, I followed the clue and entered a dungeon...

“Entered it?”

-And then, at that moment, my real body ascended to the heavens, and my consciousness was preserved as a 0-star NPC. It’s a sad story.

“...That’s really sad.”

-If you don’t want to die suddenly while playing, take good care of your health.

Carpe nodded silently at the very practical advice. Being preserved as an NPC after dying in the game was definitely not something he wanted.

And then it happened.

Ding.

[Rating determination complete.]

The two of them simultaneously gasped at the next notification window.

But their gasps were completely different.

[Dungeon Rating: Legendary]

[Congratulations. You have obtained the title 'Discoverer of the Legendary'.]

[Monsters will be significantly strengthened. The dungeon structure will become more complex. The number of traps will increase dramatically.]

[There is a low probability of mutant creatures appearing.]

[The dungeon rewards and experience points will be significantly enhanced.]

[First entry bonus will be applied upon entry.]

[Do you wish to enter?]

“Wow! This game is so well-designed! Of course, we’re entering!”

-No, this is more like a game of luck! Is this even a game? You Rasel developers, are you even doing your job?!

While one person had only experienced a Legendary dungeon nine times in ten years, for another, the first dungeon could be Legendary.

* * *

Carpe cautiously advanced into the dungeon. His face was filled with a tension he had never felt before.

“But, thinking about it, a Legendary rating isn’t necessarily a good thing. The higher the monsters’ strength, the higher the chance of failing the dungeon.”

-That’s true in many cases. A party might prepare for a Rare dungeon, but if a Unique dungeon appears, they could all be wiped out.

Of course, after the rating is determined, you get a choice to enter or not.

-But, human greed is a scary thing.

The higher the rating, the lower the probability of it appearing.

Moreover, dungeons rated Unique and above are extremely rare.

Actually, most players have never seen the word ‘Unique’ even once since starting the game. That’s the current state of Rasel.

-If you’re not a real veteran or someone with a cold, clear mind, you’ll charge in without thinking, just like you did a moment ago.

“...Sigh. I have nothing to say. This game is really deviously well-designed.”

This is the true nature of the ‘Random Rating System,’ one of the two major sins of Rasel, alongside the tutorial gacha.

-Did you see the notification window when you entered? It said the first entry bonus would be applied.

“Yes. Why is that?”

-Isn’t it strange? I know this dungeon exists, so why would you be the first to enter it?

“...Huh?”

Now that he thought about it, that was strange.

Carpe was momentarily confused but quickly came to a conclusion. Or rather, there was only one reason.

“Demon King, you didn’t enter this dungeon in this regression cycle, did you?”

-That’s right. There are two reasons.

First, the level 5 or below restriction.

-The world of Rasel is really vast. Even if a billion players search thoroughly, there are still many secrets left. There are countless hidden pieces and Easter eggs.

And this is true for the starting city of Raseen as well. There are other hidden dungeons near Raseen, not just 'King Squirrel’s Nest.'

-In this cycle, I cleared another dungeon and ended up over level 5. I couldn’t enter this one even if I wanted to.

“Ah. So, you chose that dungeon over this one because its rewards were better, right?”

-That’s not it. In terms of rewards, this dungeon is better. The dungeon I cleared had a fixed Hero rating, not a random one.

“Huh? Then why did you choose that dungeon over this one?”

This 'King Squirrel’s Nest' could appear as anything from a Hero to a Legendary rating. Why would the Demon King choose a lower-level dungeon over this one?

“Don’t tell me, you foresaw that you would be preserved as an NPC in the future and left this dungeon to become the ultimate guide?”

-What nonsense. Of course, there’s a second reason. And that is...

“What is it?”

Just as the Demon King was about to answer, the ground rumbled, and the first monster of the dungeon appeared in front of Carpe.

“Squeak squeak squeak!!!”

True to the dungeon’s name, 'King Squirrel’s Nest,' the monster that appeared was a squirrel.

“...It’s bigger than the one earlier?”

The Tyrant Squirrel they encountered in the field was about the size of a Jindo dog, but this one was the size of a small calf.

At this point, shouldn’t it be called something other than a squirrel? It looked much stronger than the one they had killed earlier.

“Squeak!!!”

“Ugh! It’s fast?!”

The monster, upon spotting Carpe, let out a scream and charged at him at full speed. It was much faster than the one in the field. Carpe quickly rolled to the side to avoid it.

Bang!

“Gulp!”

The Tyrant Squirrel’s massive front teeth collided with a large rock behind Carpe. Surprisingly, the rock crumbled into pieces, but the squirrel’s teeth were unscathed!

“What kind of squirrel is this?!”

-Just by looking, I can tell that a direct hit would kill you in one shot. Now, do you understand? This is the second reason.

The Demon King smiled and continued.

-I didn’t have the confidence to clear a dungeon rated Unique or higher!

“You should have told me that earlier!!”

Carpe shouted and rolled on the ground again.

Bang!

Another rock was shattered by the squirrel’s front teeth. Cold sweat trickled down his back.

“No way, a veteran of ten years! Even a veteran of ten years can’t guarantee clearing a dungeon like this!”

-Well, you will. That’s why I didn’t stop you.

“What nonsense... Ugh! I dodged!”

-What’s nonsense is your stats and physique. You don’t realize how monstrous you are, do you? A normal level 5 player would have died instantly at that speed.

“Even you, Demon King?”

-There’s something you’re misunderstanding. I wasn’t that physically strong. I wasn’t particularly lucky either. Of course, I couldn’t clear it. Am I a god?

Damn, if I had drawn a normal skill or a normal commander in this cycle, I would have piled up a mountain of squirrel corpses.

The Demon King grumbled.

“Squeak squeak squeak!”

The Tyrant Squirrel, seemingly enraged, let out a scream and charged at Carpe again.

But.

“What, this thing can only charge straight? It’s a complete klutz.”

Thud.

“Squeak!”

This time, Carpe dodged while swinging his sword. The Green Skin Slayer, a Hero-rated weapon, easily pierced the squirrel’s flesh.

“Ugh?!”

However, it wasn’t as easy as in the field. The moment the squirrel was hit, it swung its sharp claws. Carpe quickly tilted his head to avoid the claws.

“Phew. That was close.”

-Be careful. No matter how strong your stats are, these squirrel monsters have the 'Pierce Defense' trait.

‘Pierce Defense’ is a trait that deals additional damage proportional to the target’s health and defense.

The combination of the squirrel’s inflated attack power due to the Legendary rating and the ‘Pierce Defense’ trait created a hellish difficulty!

Literally, a one-hit squirrel.

No matter how high your health and HP, one hit and you’re done.

Carpe swallowed hard and said,

“In the end, I can’t take a single hit, can I?”

-Then you’ll get the title 'Cleared the Dungeon Without Allowing a Single Hit'. How about it? Can you do it?

The Demon King was indeed an excellent guide.

However, even if a veteran guide sets the table and feeds you with a spoon, it’s meaningless if you can’t chew the food.

The answer to the question was already decided.

“Phew.”

Carpe slowly regulated his breathing and glared at the Tyrant Squirrel.

“I have to do it.”

Without hesitation, Carpe charged at the monster.

A 10-star player, strengthened by luck.