Chapter 93

EP.93 Stained Rock Pile (5)

There is a significant difference in combat style between party hunting and solo play.

Party hunting mainly involves exploring and maintaining a proper balance between tanking and dealing damage to systematically hunt down monsters, whereas solo players prioritize efficiency.

They aim to take down the necessary monsters and avoid unnecessary ones.

This was the combat style of solo players.

"......"

Yoo Eun-sul was no different.

She was an assassin-type character optimized for solo play.

Among them, she was a high-ranking holder, highly regarded as being at the top.

Her [Stealth] skill, which was almost at max level, and her movement rune, which displayed top-tier abilities, allowed her to reach the summit of Seoraksan Field without much effort.

She had only killed 10 monsters on her way to the summit.

All of them were A-rank monsters.

"Fenrir... isn't here today, either."

Yoo Eun-sul muttered with a hint of disappointment.

The S-rank monster, also known as the field boss, does not always appear.

Due to its low population, the respawn rate is extremely low.

This is a stroke of luck for ordinary holders hunting in the field, but for Yoo Eun-sul, who considers S-rank monsters a decent source of income, it was somewhat unfortunate.

"There don't seem to be any useful holders either."

Even though the purpose was a walk, it wasn't just a simple hike.

During the climb to the summit.

She occasionally observed holders who were party hunting.

The result was, as expected, a complete miss.

Not only did she not find anyone who met her criteria, but she didn't even see any holders with decent skills.

Perhaps because Seoraksan Field is a rather unconventional field.

Recently, it felt like high-ranking holders were particularly absent.

'I guess I'll just have to go... '

After briefly observing the holders hunting in the middle section.

Yoo Eun-sul was about to descend when she suddenly paused.

While using [Stealth] to roam around the middle section of Seoraksan Field.

She noticed a slightly unusual scene.

"Explode!"

At the end of the middle section.

In a specific area of the field with dense undergrowth...

A 2-person party was battling a wolf-type monster.

A man with a shield and a sword was holding a woman and hunting the wolf that was charging at them roughly.

The area around them was already littered with numerous wolf corpses, indicating that a battle had just ended.

'Hyde Wolf...'

Yoo Eun-sul immediately recognized the identity of the monster.

A B-rank monster, the Hyde Wolf.

One of the monsters with the [Stealth] rune, it is a vicious creature that hides in various terrains and waits for the right moment to attack.

From the situation, it seemed that the Hyde Wolf had targeted the female holder, who appeared to be a mage, right after the battle ended.

Fortunately, they seemed to have successfully defended against the attack.

"Damn wolf. Explode, explode."

...Although the man's words and actions seemed a bit rough.

'...They fight well.'

Yoo Eun-sul, who was ready to help if the situation became dangerous, soon turned around.

A 2-person party consisting of a warrior-type and a mage-type holder.

Considering the level of Seoraksan Field, it was a rather bold composition, but it wasn't strong enough to catch her attention.

At best, a B-rank 2-person party.

That was it.

'...?'

But Yoo Eun-sul had to stop again.

Something was off.

She felt an unusual aura.

It was both unfamiliar and familiar.

Tiresome yet awaited.

That peculiar and strange aura...

was emanating from the man in front.

'...This is hard to believe.'

Without revealing her [Stealth], Yoo Eun-sul cautiously moved closer to them.

As she got closer, the aura became clearer and stronger.

She was certain.

The special holder she had been searching for.

The one she had sought after, even considering going to the academy based on Tae Won-ho's words...

was in the undergrowth.

With this sudden discovery.

Yoo Eun-sul couldn't hide her surprise.

'In such a place, suddenly...'

She had seen holders while hiking and descending.

But she didn't really expect much.

She hadn't found anyone even after forming temporary parties, so she didn't think she would find someone in such a normal hunting situation.

But it was certain.

The resonating aura from her body told her that the holder in front was qualified.

"Chae-eun. Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

The young holder, with a worried look on his face, checked on his teammate.

He was the first holder with the 'aura of a dragon' she had encountered since Song Do-hyuk of <Dragon Flame Sword Path>.

* * *

Hunting in Seoraksan Field went smoothly.

The level of the monsters increased significantly once we entered the middle section, and I had to use [Pangcheon Sword] without hesitation when Kim Chae-eun was in danger...

But there were no obstacles on the path to the dungeon.

'I should enter the dungeon soon.'

The Stained Rock Pile is a dungeon that Park Jin-woo tackled in the middle to late part of the original story.

The level of the monsters inside is mostly B-rank, with the A-rank monster 'Barg' as the boss, making it a mid-to-high-level dungeon.

It doesn't have any special gimmicks, and the path to the boss room isn't difficult, so it's not an impenetrable dungeon.

Moreover...

'I know this dungeon well.'

The dungeons I have tackled so far are the academy underground dungeon, the hobgoblin village, and the forest covered in snakes.

A total of three.

Among these, I didn't know the strategies for any of them.

I had only seen the strategy for the initial part of the academy underground dungeon, and I only knew the entrance medium and the approximate level of the monsters for the hobgoblin village.

The forest covered in snakes was only briefly mentioned in the story, so I had no information on it.

In essence, they were all dungeons that were as good as new to me, unknown dungeons.

It was a miracle that I had managed to clear the bosses in all three dungeons.

In contrast, the Stained Rock Pile was an undiscovered dungeon that Park Jin-woo had tackled in detail, from the process to the result.

Since it took up an entire episode, I knew the strategy well.

Therefore, even with just Kim Chae-eun and me.

We could tackle the dungeon.

'Today... might be tough.'

The damage output might be a bit lacking.

Because I used [Pangcheon Sword] too emotionally earlier, I might not have enough firepower to take down the boss monster 'Barg'.

It seemed best to just get a taste of the dungeon today and postpone the boss room strategy until tomorrow.

"Chae-eun, wait a moment."

As we were moving through the end of the middle section.

I immediately raised my hand when I confirmed the two trees in my line of sight.

"Huh? Why?"

The two trees in front of us.

They were so close that they seemed to be a pair.

And there was a small space between them, like a resting place.

At first glance, they were just two ordinary trees on a mountain, but they were the entrance medium to the Stained Rock Pile dungeon.

If you stepped into the space between the two trees.

You could enter the dungeon.

I slowly raised my hand between the trees.

Then, I gently touched the tree and said.

"The flow of mana is a bit unusual. We can just pass by, but I think..."

"Think?"

"It might be an undiscovered dungeon."

I infused a tiny bit of mana into the small space between the trees.

The entrance condition for the dungeon is to infuse mana into the medium.

When I infused a slightly less than the required amount of mana, the flow of the medium place began to change rapidly.

"Huh? Jae-hyun, the flow of mana is getting stronger!"

"Right?"

I smiled slightly and turned to Kim Chae-eun.

"Shall we enter?"

And in such a proposal to do something together...

She had never backed out.

Kim Chae-eun nodded with a bright smile.

"Sure!"

[You have entered the dungeon.]

[The dungeon's savage aura slightly reduces the holder's speed.]

* * *

Undiscovered dungeon, Stained Rock Pile.

This is a dungeon in the form of a mountain made of rocks.

Although the terrain of rocks is a bit tricky, it is a relatively easy dungeon to progress through because it is open and lacks complex structures.

The layout is a standard arrangement of the entrance, middle section, and boss room.

The monsters that appear are wolf-type monsters, similar to those in Seoraksan Field.

'The monsters at the entrance are...'

According to my memory, probably B-rank Gray Wolves.

They don't have any special mana attacks, but they are physical-type monsters with enhanced physical abilities and rune support.

Their stats also have a strength in speed, making their movements sharp and fierce.

In particular, they possess the [Sturdy Fangs] rune, similar to the Toxin Iguana... but their proficiency is much higher than that of the Toxin Iguana, so we need to be careful of their 'defense reduction followed by attack.'

Auuu-!!

Auu, Auu-!!

As soon as we entered the dungeon, the monsters greeted us.

I quickly grabbed a sword using the weapon change technique and said.

"Chae-eun!"

"Sure...!!"

The synergy between Kim Chae-eun and me is now on par with any experienced party.

Upon hearing the signal, Kim Chae-eun quickly gathered her mana.

Our core combo at the beginning of the battle.

To control the monsters with ice-type attacks and set up a structure for me to attack.

I also started preparing to use [Rage Rush] for the most efficient first move.

Grr, Aaa-!!

Auu, Auu-!!

"Wh-what...?"

But something strange happened.

The number of wolves appearing on the rocks...

was many.

Too many.

Five, seven, ten, fifteen, twenty...

Twenty? Thirty?

The number was increasing to a point where it was hard to count with the naked eye.

That's not all.

Among the countless Gray Wolves.

A giant wolf was standing heavily in the center.

A large body and a deep gray mane.

And an overwhelming presence that seemed to tear everything apart.

It was a wolf I had never seen before, and it appeared to be at least an A-rank monster.

"Jae-hyun... that's...?"

Kim Chae-eun called me with a trembling voice.

I was equally surprised.

'It's different from the original story.'

It's different.

It was content not present in the original story.

The Stained Rock Pile is a relatively high-level dungeon, but the number of monsters appearing is appropriate, and it doesn't have any gimmicks, making it not a difficult dungeon to tackle.

Naturally, only four or five Gray Wolves appear at the entrance.

But that formula was twisted.

Dozens of monsters and a special monster in the center.

The fact that the monsters were waiting to hunt us...

was a result I had never seen before.

'What should I do?'

A situation I never expected.

With that bewildering scene.

I couldn't figure out what to do.

Auuu-!!

Grr, Grrr-

But there was no time to think.

The pack of wolves was already...

charging at Kim Chae-eun and me like mad.