Chapter 20: The Deal (1)

Since there was no longer any reason for Yeonwoo to stay in the dungeon, he left with Kan and Doyle.

"There's that damn Heavy Water again."

Kan frowned as he saw the pond of Heavy Water. He had chosen the difficult Black Route, which made passing through the pond a grueling task. The density of the water was unimaginable, the pressure was strong enough to crush a body, and there were rare aquatic monsters living in the pond. The thought of passing through it again made him irritable.

However, Yeonwoo was secretly curious about how to get through it. He had seen many traces of Yeonwoo's skills in the dungeon, but this was the first time he would witness them directly. He intended to judge whether to recruit additional personnel based on Yeonwoo's current abilities and potential for growth.

However,

"Huh?"

Yeonwoo was walking towards the pond without any preparation.

"Hey, you!"

"What's the matter?"

Yeonwoo turned to Kan with a puzzled look.

"You're just going to go in? Without any preparation?"

"Is there a problem?"

"Thinking it's no big deal, you'll get a big nose bleed...!"

But before Kan could finish his sentence, Yeonwoo jumped into the pond.

Kan, thinking Yeonwoo would suffer from the immense pressure and sink, rushed forward, but then he said,

"There's no need to worry, it seems."

"…Yeah."

Yeonwoo was swimming as if he were a fish in water, effortlessly. Doyle smiled slightly, and Kan looked embarrassed.

He had confirmed that Yeonwoo was quite skilled, but he didn't expect this level of ability. It seemed he had found someone much better than he thought.

'Just passing through the B-section, and he's this good. If he continues to grow as he progresses through the remaining sections...'

Kan smiled as he watched Yeonwoo swim to the surface with such ease.

Perhaps,

The tutorial might stir up again for another reason. And the emergence of a new strong player was always welcome.

* * *

However,

Regardless of Kan's surprise,

Yeonwoo could clearly feel how much his body had changed as he moved through the Heavy Water.

'Flame Heart and Frost Script. This is really good.'

The pressure that would normally crush an ordinary human's body was ineffective against his reinforced body. The Flame Heart pumped vigorously, infusing his body with immense vitality, and the Frost Script, operating beneath his skin, hardened his bones to easily withstand the pressure of the Heavy Water.

For Yeonwoo, this was no different from swimming in a regular pond on Earth.

Then, he turned his head to see how Kan and Doyle would cross the pond.

Kan, a physical powerhouse, took out a piece of cloth from his pocket, tied his sword securely to his waist, and jumped into the water. His swimming looked very proficient.

On the other hand, Doyle,

'What is this? A skill?'

With a light wave of his hand, the mayflies that were stuck to the cave walls suddenly swarmed over the pond, forming a dark cloud.

Doyle stepped on the cloud of insects, moving forward. With each step, the insects moved to form a bridge.

It was a strange and fascinating sight. Even if the mayflies were crushed, they were replenished in numbers, making the crossing easier.

'A Tamer, specializing in insect techniques?'

Tamers usually carried specific animals because they valued communication with their subjects. However, insect techniques, which involved handling low-intelligence insects and mayflies, were more difficult and complex.

Seeing such an insect tamer in person was unexpected.

But that's why it made sense why a player ranked 11th in the tutorial could be caught off guard by an ambush. His physical abilities were likely not as strong as his skills and insect techniques.

'Come to think of it, didn't Black Skull excel in insect techniques?'

Suddenly, the image of a certain figure among the tower's top-ranked players came to mind.

But Yeonwoo shook his head. He would meet them eventually, but there was no need to worry about it now.

After confirming that Kan and Doyle were moving, Yeonwoo took a deep breath and dived deep into the pond. The inside of the pond was pitch black, making it hard to see.

He had no choice but to enhance his senses to the maximum.

Bang!

Yeonwoo kicked the water and slid forward. The feeling of moving quickly was refreshing.

* * *

Arangdan's officer, Build, frowned deeply.

The guy who disappeared into the Black Route, the culprit who wrecked Kaen's gang, had finally been found.

The pond of Heavy Water in the B-section.

It seemed he was still stuck there due to the high difficulty.

Just as he was about to move in that direction,

An additional report from a subordinate stopped him in his tracks.

"There's a problem."

"A problem?"

"Kan and Doyle are with him."

"What? Why? Wait, weren't they originally in the E-section?"

Kan and Doyle were particularly interesting to the Blue Crane Gang and the Arangdan. Their movements were closely monitored by the Qinghua Island, the backing of the Arangdan.

Why were they suddenly here?

Moreover, wasn't the culprit a nobody without any backing?

"We haven't obtained accurate information yet, but we are investigating. However, there are reports that the two were missing from the E-section recently, and witnesses saw people with the same appearance in the waiting room of the B-section."

Build glared at his subordinate.

"You only found out about this important fact now?"

The subordinate, shrinking in his seat, tried to explain.

"We didn't suspect anything because we didn't think they would be in the early sections, even if their appearances were similar."

Bang!

Build slammed his fist on the table.

"So what? Did the two recruit him?"

The subordinate bowed deeply, ashamed.

"That's what we're currently assuming."

"Of course, he had some backing to dare to mess with us. Kan, Doyle, you damn bastards."

Build clenched his teeth, recalling the faces of the two troublemakers.

He could only interpret this situation as a declaration of war from them.

The masked guy knew there was trouble with them, yet he was left alone.

This was a clear act of disrespect towards the Arangdan, or even the Qinghua Island.

"We'll head to where the masked guy is. Gather the members."

"They are all waiting outside."

As Build nodded and was about to move to where the members were gathered,

Another subordinate rushed in.

"A new report just arrived! They've passed through the B-section and reached the C-section!"

"Then we'll move to that side..."

But before Build could finish, more subordinates arrived one after another.

"Another report! They've broken through the C-section!"

"They've been spotted at the entrance of the D-section..."

"No, they've broken through the D-section and entered the E-section!"

"Currently breaking through..."

"Kan and Doyle are following them..."

The continuous reports were bewildering.

The Arangdan's information network within the tutorial was very thorough, so there could be no errors.

But the sudden flood of reports meant one thing:

A breakthrough.

But even with Kan and Doyle's help, could such a rapid breakthrough be possible?

"What the hell is going on?"

Build's expression hardened.

* * *

[269:36:55_41]

[You have solo cleared the B-section, Black Route.]

[You have achieved an accomplishment that few can easily accomplish. Additional merit points are awarded.]

[You have earned 2,000 merit points.]

[You have earned an additional 1,000 merit points.]

[Your health and mana are restored.]

[All abnormal statuses are restored.]

...

[You have solo cleared the C-section.]

[You have achieved an accomplishment that few can easily accomplish...]

...

[You have solo cleared the D-section...]

...

'What is this? Was this guy really playing in the B-section until recently? How is such rapid growth possible?'

Kan followed closely behind Yeonwoo, letting out a hollow laugh, amazed.

He had to admit his initial thoughts were wrong.

He had thought that a new strong player might emerge, a dark horse that could threaten the frontrunners.

But it wasn't that.

'He had already emerged!'

At first, when Yeonwoo passed through the Heavy Water pond, he thought he had found a good catch.

But the moment they entered the C-section, his thoughts changed completely.

Bang!

Squeal-

"Human! A human has appeared... Grrr!"

"Human, too strong! Leader, we need... Gag!"

Yeonwoo cleared the C-section with ease, sweeping through the monsters that got in his way.

The C-section was different from the previous two sections, which had only one path. It was a maze with dozens of tunnels connected in a chaotic web, with only one exit.

At the end of the maze was a den of hobgoblins and dozens of goblins.

Naturally, they considered players as intruders and sent scouting parties to block their progress.

Players had to avoid or secretly eliminate these scouts to advance.

If discovered, they might have to face the entire goblin tribe, which could number in the dozens.

Even with great skills, numbers were hard to overcome.

In the C-section, the challenge was to play hide-and-seek with the goblins and reach the destination.

But,

Yeonwoo ignored all the strategies.

He pushed forward, cutting down the goblins without a care, and the maze became chaotic.

Goblins swarmed in response to the strange massacre, and Yeonwoo faced them head-on, emerging victorious.

In the end, the hobgoblin's head flew into the air.

The D-section was the same.

He even cut down the troll guarding the stone chamber in one stroke.

Swish!

The troll, which was said to be difficult to defeat even with a party of five, burst like a torn drum.

Doyle, who had never seen such a scene, could only look at Yeonwoo with sunken eyes, saying nothing.

But,

Even after such a display, Yeonwoo calmly and quickly disassembled the troll.

When asked why he was handling the dead monsters,

"The troll's blood is an important ingredient for health potions. The tendons and skin are also valuable."

"..."

He even calmly responded to the question of what was wrong.

From start to finish,

Yeonwoo had taken care of everything he could.

* * *

[The tutorial ranking has been updated.]

[Tutorial Ranking]

1st. Edora (57,987 Points)

2nd. Pant (56,342 Points)

3rd. Kan (50,475 Points)

...

192nd. Confidential (15,700 Points) (Self)

...

From 281st to 192nd.

Yeonwoo had leaped over nearly 90 ranks in one go.