Episode 18
18. Episode 18
“I didn’t know there was a dungeon in the first chapter of the tutorial.”
Hidden dungeon, ‘The Forgotten Hero’s Training Grounds’.
It was a situation that even Se-un had never imagined.
What is a dungeon?
It is full of monsters that give more experience points than regular fields, and if you successfully conquer it, you will be given rewards that are on a different level than the field.
In particular, if you clear the dungeon for the first time, the rewards are several times greater than the original.
Because of this, it is known that about half of the dungeons disappear after the first raid is completed.
The person who built that dungeon has now discovered it.
Thud, thud.
There was no reason to hesitate once we got here.
Even after returning to camp, only Seun could climb back up to the top of the rock mountain, and since he had no other items to bring, Seun confidently stepped into the darkness.
‘I guess there is no separate lighting.’
When I saw the name, Haengseongcho, I thought it would be an artificial place, but as soon as I stepped foot in the entrance, I realized that it was not so.
Literally a cave.
The ground was uneven, and the walls and ceiling were also uneven.
Even the floor and ceiling were filled with stalagmites and stalactites.
However, this is the extent to which we can confirm it.
As I took a few more steps, the light illuminating the entrance disappeared and pitch-black darkness encroached upon my vision.
Flap, flap!
Squeak-
As my vision faded, my heightened hearing began to allow me to hear various sounds.
The flapping of something’s wings and a shrill scream.
A normal person would have already felt scared and taken a step back at this point.
Because sight is one of the five senses that people rely on the most, its loss means fear.
A state where you cannot proceed without even a small torch.
However, Seun had a tool that was incomparably superior to the torch.
-The Treasure Trove of Greed has been opened.
[ Night Owl’s Eyes ]
– The eyes of an owl, a nocturnal bird of prey known as a night predator in the wild. It gathers light and brightens its vision even in the dark.
In the pitch-black darkness, Se-un’s eyes sparkled.
It was not a figurative expression, but the pupils were glowing bright yellow, collecting the faint light scattered throughout the cave.
‘that’s interesting.’
The cave, where you couldn’t see even an inch ahead, begins to come into clear view.
The only regret is that, like a black and white photo, the colors are not visible?
But since this was a cave anyway, there would be no need to observe the colors.
It’s a much more efficient method than having one hand tied up holding a torch.
‘If I had gone forward without a plan, I would have been pierced before I even met the monster.’
Stalagmites and stalactites occasionally visible at the entrance.
As we entered a certain depth, stalactites were everywhere, waiting for the intruder’s body, as if they were traps.
Not only the floor and ceiling, but even the walls were sticking out, and even the randomly created hollows were filled with sharp stalactites.
There were no signs of artificial construction, but it appeared to be a natural fortress, just like the rock mountain.
Fortunately, there was no need to worry about getting lost, as there was only one path through the cave.
How long did it take to walk like that?
Finally, the source of the strange noise that had been heard continuously was revealed.
“Keeeeee!”
Flap, flap!
The bats attached to the stalactites that filled the ceiling spread their wings.
At first I could hear it little by little, but soon it became loud enough to ring my ears.
The number of guys seen through the ‘eyes of a night owl’ is at least a few dozen.
Besides, these guys weren’t ordinary bats.
‘Vampire Bat.’
A monster commonly called a vampire bat.
As if to prove that they were no ordinary animals, the size of these creatures with their wings spread reached up to 1m.
The cave, which was gradually expanding, was filled with these guys.
‘It’s about this much.’
They are not that strong monsters.
In terms of sheer strength, it’s similar to the wolves we faced in the first wave.
The guys’ strength lies entirely in the dark.
These are attacks that thoroughly exploit the opponent’s weaknesses in situations where the opponent cannot see ahead.
Even if you are holding a torch, if you get caught up in their attacks, you will quickly lose the torch and the light will go out.
Of course, this doesn’t apply to Se-un at all.
Hurrah!
As Se-un opened his hand, a ball of flames shimmered.
The crater, which had been growing until a swarm of bats swarmed over, followed Seun’s instructions to light up the cave, and when it grew large enough to reach the ceiling.
Crunch!
“Keeeeeek!”
He moved forward, swallowing bats.
No matter how agile they are, it is impossible to avoid a flame that has grown this large in the confined space of a cave.
The bats that had been covering Se-un’s vision suddenly turned black and fell to the ground.
– Preyed on the ‘Vampire Bat’.
-Absorbs nutrients, increasing Agility by 2.
…
-The constellation, ‘The Hungry Prince’, cheers, saying that the taste of the well-cooked wings is exquisite.
The effect was more perfect than I expected.
However, there was one huge side effect.
Corn-
“It’s not as sturdy as I thought.”
With just one cast of magic, the cave begins to shake uneasily and stalactites rain down above your head.
After that, the shaking continued for about five minutes and the stones continued to fall.
If I continued to use magic like this, not only would I be impaled by the stalactites, but it seemed like the cave would collapse on me.
furthermore.
‘It seems like the ventilation isn’t working properly.’
The smell of bats lingered for a while.
The slight breeze felt on my skin indicated the circulation of air, but the wind speed was extremely weak.
If you use fire magic again, all the oxygen might burn out.
“Is this a fork in the road?”
The road was divided for the first time.
If you close your eyes and turn around right now, you will mistake the path you walked because the roads are so similar.
In these cases, the method of choice is usually to follow one wall.
If you hold onto the wall and follow it, even if it’s a long and arduous journey, you’ll eventually reach the end of the dungeon and you won’t get lost on your way back to the entrance.
But who is Seun?
Even with the help of the unique skill, ‘Journey’s Guide’, you have explored countless fields and dungeons until you reach the 92nd floor of the tower.
The features and strategies for most dungeons were completely engraved in my head.
“Phew… … .”
The first thing Se-un did was to close his eyes.
It is giving up the vision revealed through the eyes of a night owl.
Next, use all your senses except sight to understand the flow of the cave.
Swish-
A breeze so faint that it makes the fluff flutter slightly.
Kkieek-
A slightly sharper and higher monster roar, different from the vampire bat.
Woof-
The direction of the faint mana coming in through the breath taken in. It was all pointing to one place.
“This way.”
Seun was able to feel confident without having to take out any new treasures.
I moved in the direction I chose without hesitation.
As I went a little further, I noticed the source of the scream I had heard at the fork in the road.
-The constellation, ‘The Hungry Prince’, is chewing on those wings and is licking his lips.
Bladed Bat.
Before we knew it, a bat appeared flying freely inside the cave, which had become as wide as a hallway. Its wings were as sharp as blades, hence its name.
Every time I flap my wings, the air seems to squeak.
Such a monster.
“Kkeuk-”
Just like the vampire bats, they were swarming and clinging to the ceiling.
The guys soon discovered Seun, letting out his characteristic roar and revealing his sharp wings.
Hurrah!
Seun created a fireball once again.
He fired at the bats with as much force as possible so as not to shock the cave.
However, the result was a little different from before.
Crunch-
“A monster that cuts magic in the first chapter of the tutorial.”
The guys’ sharp wings cut through the flames and flew straight towards Seun.
Upon closer inspection, I could see that their wings were faintly imbued with mana.
Even so, it would be impossible to cut through magic to that extent, but it seems that Seun’s magic couldn’t withstand the dozens of blade bats swinging their blades.
Kang!
Kaga River!
Dozens of blades clashed with Seun’s sword.
Although each attack was not particularly strong, they were so numerous that it was impossible to block or dodge them.
Fortunately, as you can see, the defense was poor.
Phew!
It is said that you can hunt blade bats just by swinging your sword lightly.
however.
‘There are too many.’
If things continued like this, Seun’s stamina would run out before he could hunt all of them.
The gray wolf cloak did a great job of blocking the blades, but the creatures were persistently looking for any openings that the cloak could not cover.
Ssat-
Finally, a bladed bat pierced through the cloak and cut into Seun’s skin.
Red blood gushed from the long, sharp wound, as if cut with a knife.
Se-Woon, who had his face crumpled, unhesitatingly activates the power of greed.
-The Treasure Trove of Greed has been opened.
[ Lizardman’s Scales ]
– The scales of the Lizardmen, a race of beasts that have inherited the power of reptiles. They are said to be able to perfectly block most attacks, and if they realize mana, they can even block magic.
There was no need to waste power and end up in trouble against these monsters.
Since it wouldn’t wear out if used, there was no need to conserve it even if the opponent was a mere bladed bat.
Teeing!
“Kkeuk-?”
The bladed bat that had once again dug into Seun’s arms questioned the firm sensation it felt on its wings.
At the same time as the power was being used, the skin of Seun that was not covered by the cloak began to grow shiny reptilian scales.
It is not a real form, but rather a form closer to a defensive barrier embodied in mana.
Since Seun was only in the first circle, he couldn’t form scales over a wide area.
However, the area that Seun must block now is only a small area that is not covered by the cloak.
The moment the cloak and scales covered his entire body, victory or defeat was already decided.
Phu, chug!
“Keeeek-”
One-sided massacre.
Although the guys struggled, they ended up dying without even causing a small wound to Se-un’s body.
It wasn’t easy to hit the guys flying around quickly with a sword, but it wasn’t a problem for Se-Woon, who had already mastered the Blood Wolf Sword Technique, including Hamelga’s longsword technique.
-The constellation, ‘The Hungry Prince’, munches on the wings of the blade bat with a crackling sound.
After using the power of gluttony to clean up their corpses, I continued walking.
After that, there were continued light traps and monster attacks, but there were no threatening elements for Seun who had obtained the ‘Night Owl’s Eyes’ and ‘Lizardman’s Scales’.
At the fork in the road, I chose the path without hesitation thanks to the knowledge I had before returning.
How long did it take to walk like that?
Phew-
Unlike the faint airflow until now, I felt a cool breeze that made my breathing easier.
Even the weak mana became strong enough to make the circle vibrate.
“This was the real training ground.”
At the end of the cave, an open space appeared.
Even though the night owl’s eyes were not active, a faint light seeped through a small crack in the ceiling, softly illuminating the cave.
The forgotten hero’s training ground. We have reached the end.
fantasy,
