Chapter 84

EP.84 Request (1)

It didn’t take long for the mystery to unravel.

Given that the cooldown for [Declaration of War] was still active, there was only one rune or skill that could inflict an abnormal status on me.

‘Stiffening Eyes!’

Another rune reward obtained while clearing the forest covered in snakes.

[Stiffening Eyes].

A rare rune possessed by the A-rank monster Basilisk, which is inferior in performance to the legendary rune [Petrifying Evil Eye].

Although it doesn’t have any derived skills, it has a special effect that can cause the ‘stiffening’ status with a very low probability when making eye contact during battle.

In other words, the Red Drake had stopped moving due to this effect.

Considering that the monster’s charge, which couldn’t be stopped by ordinary physical force, was halted by a single abnormal status, I could see how good the performance of [Stiffening Eyes] was.

‘I thought it was a useless rune because of the very low probability…’

To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations for [Stiffening Eyes].

Frankly, it was a rune that had already fulfilled its value by increasing my mana by 5.

Thanks to that increase in mana, my ultimate skill’s restriction was lifted, bringing my mana to 30.

However, the rune’s effect appeared at the right moment in a crisis.

It had never shown up during all the hunting I had done so far.

This could simply be described as ‘good luck’…

‘But in other words, it means the monster’s mental stats are low.’

The probability of the special effect of [Stiffening Eyes] is influenced by the rune level and the mental stats of the opponent.

It wasn’t just a matter of good luck; I had to consider the possibility that the Red Drake’s mental stats were excessively low.

While quickly processing these points in my mind…

I channeled mana into the sword I held in both hands.

The battle target had suddenly been afflicted with an abnormal status.

I couldn’t afford to miss this golden opportunity.

“Huff…!!”

Sssss-

Pfft- Whoosh-!!

Powerful mana gathered in [Penitent’s Sword].

The blue mana that had accumulated soon turned white.

The purity of the color made the mana gathered in the sword feel almost sacred.

The mana then formed a specific shape.

It took the form of a thrust, resembling a curved blade.

The moment the Red Drake’s stiffening ended and the shape was completed.

“Since you ran so much, let’s take a hit now.”

The completed thrust was unleashed at the speed of light.

The skill inherent in [Penitent’s Sword].

The manifestation of [Divine Slash].

Boom, BOOM-!!

-Crack! Crack…!!

The intense mana thrust hit the Red Drake.

Trapped in the stiffening status and unable to take any defensive stance, the monster had to endure the intense mana from [Divine Slash].

[Divine Slash] is a skill that covers mana with divine power and then launches it in the form of a thrust.

It’s an effective skill against undead or curse-wielding opponents, but it’s also highly useful as a mana attack, as seen in this situation.

Especially against a monster like the Red Drake, which focuses solely on offense and has weak resistance to mana attacks.

-Crack…!!

After enduring one mana attack.

The Red Drake tried to resume its charging stance.

But perhaps the impact of [Divine Slash] was significant.

It didn’t feel as destructive and threatening as before.

I gripped the sword calmly and glared at the monster.

‘It must have had low mental stats…’

The fact that it was affected by the [Stiffening Eyes] effect.

This means there’s a high probability that the monster’s mental stats were low.

And the rune that has different effects based on mental stats.

I didn’t just have one of these.

-Crack…?

The Red Drake’s speed, which was about to charge, suddenly slowed down.

[Simple Curse].

A rune obtained by defeating a hobgoblin shaman.

It had the effect of ‘slowing’ among the few curses I learned from [Cursed Grimoire].

“Looks like it’s working.”

With low mental stats, even a level 2 curse works.

This is like how a holy class holder could have made the strategy much easier with a single debuff.

-Crack…!!

Avoiding the significantly slowed charge was easy.

I dodged the monster’s charge using [Agile Movement] and then moved lightly to get close to its body.

‘Mana… just enough for the ultimate skill.’

I want to use lightning or fire attribute mana with it like before, but I don’t have enough mana.

I’ve used too much mana since entering the boss room.

I left enough mana to use [Phantom Thousand Swords] and dealt with the monster using only physical attacks.

Clang- Clang-!!

-Crack…!!

A physical battle with an A-rank monster was not easy.

Even though the monster had low mental stats, its physical stats were among the best in the A-rank category.

Its solid durability was hard to penetrate even with [Penitent’s Sword], and its strength and speed overwhelmed me, making the battle itself tough.

‘But it’s better than the Grizzly Drake.’

Compared to the previous boss, the Grizzly Drake, this was much easier.

That monster was focused on physical enhancement in both stats and runes, and it had [Intimidation], which made it stronger when fighting weaker opponents.

In contrast, the Red Drake was a monster focused on charging.

By somehow stopping its charge, I could manage to hold out.

It didn’t seem to have any runes related to physical enhancement, and it felt like it only had high stats.

Moreover, I have [Steadfast Endurance].

In the same conditions, it means I won’t tire out in terms of stamina.

The Red Drake, which had intended to end the battle quickly, showed several openings as the battle dragged on.

For me, who had saved mana for a final blow…

These openings were clear chances to end the fight.

“Explode.”

Boom-

BOOM-!!

Instantly, the sword embedded in the Red Drake’s neck.

A massive amount of mana burst out from inside.

It was the manifestation of [Phantom Thousand Swords], which I had saved until the end.

The Red Drake, which had already endured numerous mana and physical attacks from me, couldn’t withstand the overwhelming destructive power of [Phantom Thousand Swords].

A monster that couldn’t match even the wild imps in durability, let alone the Grizzly Drake… it was instantly killed by the ultimate skill, signaling the end of the battle.

Thud-

Only after confirming the kill by approaching the monster’s corpse…

Did I realize that the long battle was finally over.

“Phew… barely managed to take it down.”

I lay down in the boss room.

And I admitted it frankly.

Hunting a boss monster was a bit greedy.

Honestly, when I first came to the dungeon, I only wanted to check the rewards from the previous strategy, but the performance of the runes and items was so good that I got carried away.

I managed to take it down somehow…

But hunting an A-rank monster alone was still tough.

[You have won the duel! With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of the opponent’s runes. Please choose the rune to duplicate.]

[1. Fury Charge 2. Ruthless Charge (Not Selectable) 3. Concentration 4. Agility 5. Lizard Scales (Not Selectable)]

The information window of [Rune Hunter] appeared as if to celebrate the victory.

First, the absence of ‘contribution’ in the initial information window caught my eye.

A rare one-on-one duel victory result.

Information that proved I had taken down the Red Drake alone.

It might not seem like much, but it felt satisfying.

“This… there’s no choice.”

Without further ado, I chose [Fury Charge].

Most of the options were either runes I already had or higher-tier runes I already possessed.

Looking at this rune setup…

It showed how serious the monster was about charging.

All the runes were focused on assisting charges, and there were almost no runes for physical enhancement.

It didn’t even have the common [Four-Legged Combat].

I understood why the battle became easier after stopping its charge.

[You have chosen Fury Charge. As it is a level 11 rare rune, its level will decrease and be registered as level 6.]

[The rune’s tendency grants +1 speed.]

<Rune Information>

◎Name: Fury Charge

◎Rank: Rare (R)

◎Level: 6

◎Engraved Part: Knee

◎Special Effect

: +1 Speed

: Can change direction during charge. Even if you suddenly turn or reverse, the rune’s assistance does not end.

◎Derived Skill: -

◎Detailed Information

: Allows you to run faster and more recklessly. The furious charge continues endlessly.

[Fury Charge], a higher-tier rune than [Charge].

My guess that it would be at least a rare rune was correct.

Although it doesn’t have any special derived skills or effects, the ability to change direction or reverse during a charge seemed to have many advantages.

I was caught off guard by it in the battle just now.

If used well, it could be advantageous in certain situations.

“…Let’s go home now.”

I sighed and got up.

I successfully soloed an A-rank boss monster…

But honestly, this feels like a lot of hard work for a weekend.

I wanted to go home, take a shower, and rest.

“Still, I need to mine the mana stone.”

Now that the initial dungeon strategy is over and the rest room has disappeared.

The only material reward I could get was the mana stone.

The leather and other byproducts would probably be worth some money…

But without a butchering-related rune, I couldn’t properly obtain them.

Should I force a duel to get a butchering-related rune?

Buzz-

While mining the Red Drake’s mana stone.

My phone, which I had just taken out, vibrated.

[Message from Moon Ga-eun]

Checking it, I saw a message from Moon Ga-eun.

Seeing the familiar name made me feel happy.

“It’s been a while since I saw Moon Ga-eun.”

I haven’t seen her much since the academy went on break.

Although we’ve been in regular contact, it’s been over two weeks since I last met her in person, unlike Kim Chae-eun, who I went to Pohang and Daegu with, or Kang Joo-yeon, who I’ve been active with in the clan.

I’ve also been practicing with Park Jin-woo frequently since he lives nearby…

Among the underground dungeon party members, Moon Ga-eun was the hardest to see.

Buzz-

Buzz-

Buzz-

“Ah, what’s going on? Why suddenly?”

Unable to wait, she sent three more messages.

I unlocked my phone and checked it.

I noticed that there were four missed calls.

[Missed Calls] Moon Ga-eun (4)

…

…

[Message from Moon Ga-eun]

Do Jae-hyun. It’s an emergency. Please do me one favor. It’s really urgent. I’m in a really difficult situation ㅠㅠ Please help me. Will you listen? Yes? Please ㅠㅠ

…

…

[Message from Moon Ga-eun]

Do Jae-hyun, what are you doing? Are you busy?

…

…

[Message from Moon Ga-eun]

Knock knock. Is Do Jae-hyun there?

…

…

[Message from Moon Ga-eun]

Do Jae-hyun, Do Jae-hyun, Do Jae-hyun. Are you alive? What are you doing ㅠ

…

…

“…”

After reading the barrage of messages, my head felt dizzy.

…This is madness.

How desperate must she be to do this?