Chapter 68

EP.68 The Forest Covered in Snakes (2)

"Keep pressing forward! We have to hunt them to the end!"

Kwon Oh-jun's voice echoed through the mountains.

2:00 PM.

Our party, gathered at the entrance of the Inwangsan field, had completed all our preparations and entered the field without delay.

The Inwangsan field is a higher-level field than the Bukhansan field, where we previously went for a C-rank promotion.

Most of the monsters that appear from the beginning are C-rank or higher, and B-rank monsters often appear as you move further in.

Our party's current assignment dungeon was not just difficult for no reason.

Roar-!

Rumble-

The description "tiger habitat" fits perfectly.

From the beginning to the middle, most of the monsters that appeared were tiger-type monsters.

Not only Shaver Tigers and Black Tigers, but B-rank monsters like the saber-toothed tiger, Smilodon, also appeared occasionally.

These monsters don't unleash any special magical attacks, but their physical abilities, such as strength and speed, are so well-developed that they are not easy to deal with.

"This battle will be concluded without any support from the rear. Joo-hyun, use your magical attacks, and Yuna, focus on striking! Joo-hyun, don't forget to tank with your shield!"

"Understood...!!"

"Move while you're answering!"

After entering the battle.

Kwon Oh-jun's demeanor as the party leader changed completely.

The usually playful guy was a completely different person during the hunt.

He set up the battle formation seriously and deployed the necessary members at the right places.

He pushed the team members firmly in situations that required concentration.

Especially in this assignment, I and Shin Yuna, who are C-rank holders and were deployed for growth, were pushed even harder.

Thanks to this, my shield and sword, and Shin Yuna's knuckles, were constantly sparking with fire.

[Deeper, faster! The intensity of your burning flames increases. Your proficiency in handling fire has greatly increased.]

[The 'Flickering Flames' rune has leveled up.]

[You gain 1 magic and 1 fire resistance from the rune's properties.]

[Your control over magic shines in urgent situations. Your magic control is already at a high level.]

[The 'Magic Control' rune has leveled up.]

[You gain 1 magic from the rune's properties.]

The best practical experience is the best training.

This saying, which has been used countless times throughout history,

is no exception in the holder world.

The best teammates, the best party members.

And the best practical instructor with years of hunting experience.

Fighting alongside them, the growth rate of my runes was explosive.

The hunting continued until we reached the end of the middle section of the Inwangsan field, and during that time, the levels of my 'Flickering Flames' and 'Magic Control' runes each increased by 2 levels, reaching level 7 and level 6, respectively.

Using a weapon, but mainly tanking with a one-handed sword and shield, and frequently using the two runes for offensive purposes, this was the growth I achieved.

'Magic increasing is encouraging.'

If there's something I'm focusing on now,

it's probably the growth of the 'magic' value and the rune levels of [Wave Sword Technique] and [Flowing Water Sword Technique].

The ultimate skills of these two runes, [Wave Thousand Swords] and [Flowing Water Quick Sword],

require certain prerequisites to be met to use them.

The rune levels of the sword techniques will naturally increase with consistent training, but the magic value, which has a limit that can't be overcome by training alone, made the growth from runes welcome.

The magic value, which has been steadily increasing, is now 22.

Considering that it was around 10 until recently,

it's a remarkably rapid growth.

'The new runes I've obtained... even if they don't bring huge benefits, they are quite useful.'

Tiger-type monsters.

Due to the many runes I've already obtained from animal-type monsters,

most of the runes I got were ones I already had...

But there were some runes I didn't have.

[You have won the duel! Due to your high contribution in the duel, you are recognized as the winner. By the mysterious power of the rune hunter, you can replicate one of the opponent's runes. Please choose the rune to replicate.]

[You have chosen 'Sharp Claws.' As it is a level 11 rare rune, its level will decrease to 6.]

[You have obtained a new rune.]

[You gain 2 speed from the rune's properties.]

[Sharp Claws].

This is a rune I obtained while hunting the B-rank monster 'Smilodon' in the middle section.

The runes this monster possessed were mostly [Agile Movement], [Sturdy Teeth], and [Paw Combat].

In other words, they were runes I had already obtained.

I had hoped for a rune like a tiger's skin, but it seems not all animal-type monsters have defensive runes.

'...Is there a way to use it?'

[Sharp Claws] is a rare rune that enhances physical abilities based on speed.

Its special effect is that when using claws to attack, it reduces the opponent's durability by half.

A familiar effect.

It's the same as [Sturdy Teeth].

'I'm getting a lot of beast-type runes.'

Scales, teeth, claws, and paw combat...

I'm afraid I might really become the king of animals or something.

"Okay. Both of you have worked hard."

"Huff... huff... Thank you."

"Good job."

While I was lost in thought,

Kwon Oh-jun announced the end of the battle.

Looking around, we had hunted all the nearby monsters.

Mostly C-rank monsters, with two B-rank Smilodons...

With the addition of Shin Yuna's strikes and my magical attacks, we managed to hunt them.

The damage output of a C-rank holder, when well-combined, is sufficient to take down B-rank monsters.

"Wow, that's amazing. Our intern is almost as good as a B-rank holder?"

A sultry voice came from somewhere.

A woman with blonde hair and a white nun's habit, standing out.

The party's only holy-type holder, Lee Soo-mi.

She approached me and unexpectedly touched my chest.

Crazy.

Isn't this sexual harassment?

But her hand was glowing with a light green light.

...It was Lee Soo-mi's unique [Healing] method.

"Hey, intern. So, you use a sword and shield, and also fire-type runes?"

"Yes, as you can see, I'm a multi-holder."

"Wow, a holder who uses both fire and a sword. Multi-holders are so cool."

Lee Soo-mi's attire was as daring as her sultry demeanor.

A one-piece nun's habit that subtly revealed her cleavage, with the side of the thigh part split.

Blonde hair, late 20s.

A holder who exudes a big sister vibe no matter who sees her.

Such a sexy person being a holy-type holder...

This isn't the saint I knew...

"Holder Lee Soo-mi. It seems you've healed me enough, so you can stop now."

Indeed, when in trouble, only a friend can help.

Kang Ju-yeon stepped in and stopped Lee Soo-mi.

However, her voice seemed even colder than yesterday.

Lee Soo-mi, with a smile on her face, removed her hand from me.

"Hmm, it still feels like it's not enough... but since Ju-yeon says so, I'll stop."

"...Holder Shin Yuna is also badly injured."

"Oh, but intern can self-heal, right?"

Shin Yuna, using the excuse that she has the [Combat Healing] rune, only comes to heal me.

Kwon Oh-jun is also a warrior-type, but as a team leader and an A-rank holder, he rarely gets injured due to his exceptional abilities.

"Enough chit-chat. Now we need to enter the assignment dungeon. Everyone, be a little tense. Once we enter the dungeon, everyone must be in combat readiness."

Kwon Oh-jun organized the party's chaotic atmosphere.

After breaking through the initial and middle sections of the Inwangsan field, we arrived at a large rock formation.

Two rocks, one small and one large, overlapping.

Kwon Oh-jun approached the rocks and pointed to the gap where they overlapped.

"The entrance to the dungeon is at the end of this gap. I'll go in first, so follow immediately."

Thus, starting with Kwon Oh-jun, the party members entered the dungeon one by one.

The Forest Covered in Snakes.

This was the destination of our assignment.

* * *

[You have entered the dungeon.]

[The dungeon's unpleasant aura slightly reduces the holder's speed and mental state.]

'The Forest Covered in Snakes' is, as the name suggests, a forest.

Although I experienced the 'Hobgoblin Village' before, dungeons are not always in the form of caves.

Sometimes they are in the form of flatlands or villages, like the 'Hobgoblin Village,' and sometimes they are forests located somewhere in the mountains, like this one.

I've heard that there are even dungeons in the form of towns...

I've never seen one, but I'm curious.

I'll probably see one if I continue my holder life.

"There are no signs of any monster movements yet."

The party's only archer-type member,

Min Chae-hwan, completed his reconnaissance.

Kwon Oh-jun nodded in response to his words.

"Probably for the next 10 minutes, there won't be any monsters. The reconnaissance team reported the same when they came earlier."

With that, our party slowly walked through the forest.

The dense forest seemed endless.

Honestly, it's quite wide on both sides, and it's easy to lose your sense of direction, but Kwon Oh-jun, who had received the route in advance, walked in one direction without getting confused.

I looked around as I walked.

The chirping of birds and the green grass.

Trees that grew densely in clusters.

Even insects that seemed to have made their nests nearby.

It was a beautiful scene of lush foliage.

"Strong."

A clean stream of water was flowing on one side of the forest.

A fairly large river.

I couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful scenery.

A beautiful forest with a prettily shimmering river.

If it weren't a dungeon...

It would be a perfect place to visit and enjoy the natural scenery.

"Team leader, wait...!!"

But then.

Min Chae-hwan's urgent call stopped the party.

He was in a kneeling position, touching the ground.

We had agreed that there would be no monsters for 10 minutes...

But it seemed something had caught his attention during the reconnaissance.

His slightly frowning face quickly distorted.

"The monsters are hiding! They seem to have a rune that doesn't trigger detection."

"What? I didn't receive any such report... Where are they coming from? No, when will we encounter them?"

To Kwon Oh-jun's puzzled question, Min Chae-hwan focused his mind.

He tapped the ground with his fingers and then lifted his head to speak.

"1 minute... no, 30 seconds! From the river! They're coming from the river!"

At his words, I quickly grabbed my sword and shield and stared at the river.

Shin Yuna also gripped her knuckles, and Kwon Oh-jun lightly held his spear.

Rumble- Rumble-

At first, there was no sound, but the vibration gradually grew louder.

Just as Min Chae-hwan said, it was exactly 30 seconds.

Whoosh-!

Rumble-!!

And the outline of the monsters appeared.

Smooth skin and a body covered in blue.

And an enormous body boasting an incredible length.

2 meters... no, closer to 3 meters?

There were six of these monsters.

As soon as the monsters appeared, Choi Dong-wook, an assassin-type, spoke.

He was the member of the Hunting Team 5 who was most knowledgeable about monster information.

"B-rank monster, Electrophorus!"

Electrophorus.

Although it has many meanings,

in the holder world, it refers to a monster similar to an electric eel.

It has an enormous amount of bioelectricity and can unleash difficult lightning-type magical attacks. It's a B-rank monster.

A completely new monster that I couldn't find even if I searched the report with a clear mind.

A variable has occurred from the start of the dungeon strategy.

All party members quickly prepared for battle.

I also picked up my sword and shield and...

looked at the monsters with a somewhat resentful eye.

'But, weren't we told only snake-type monsters would appear?'

Shit...

Are eels considered snakes too?