TOK
The moment the whirlwind threw me out, my senses became slightly null, and a stronger sense of nausea came.
The reason for that was probably because we passed two different gates at the same time. One that would take us into the entrance of the dungeon and the other that would take us into the dungeon directly. Both of them were linked, so we hadn’t stopped, but that also meant the traveling time was a lot longer with a stronger repulsive force.
“Grrr…..” But, gritting my teeth, I held it in, resisting the reflex to gulp and vomit.
“Ho? You are pretty good for a first-timer.” The man spoke, and hearing his voice helped me regain my control and made me remember that I was in the presence of another person. Turning my head, I saw a smirk on his face as he lit another cigar from his pockets.
‘Tch!’ I clicked my tongue inwardly while glaring at him. Was that bastard really clueless, or was he doing it knowingly? The smoke alone was enough to burn my lungs.
I wondered how they could inhale such a thing daily. Didn’t they put any importance on their health?
Though I was the one to talk… Considering I was about to put my body in danger of death, I was in no position to criticize others, I guess….Everyone had reasons, probably.
“What? Wondering how I knew you were a first-timer?” Though he had taken my gaze for a different reason. “Kid. I have seen quite a lot of people like you. I am in this business for god knows how long…” With a boasting tone, he spoke, but I was really getting annoyed.
‘Nobody wanted to hear how long you have been here. I can easily say that you are at least in your 15th year from your habits alone.’ I thought, standing up.
“Sigh…. You are a weird one, aren’t you? Anyway, I will leave now. You must have already read about the regulations…. You can stay here for at most ten days without checking out, or we will assume that you are in danger, and then we will send a rescue team. But that will result in the loss of your money, so it is your choice.”
He said as he waved his hand. I nodded in response while getting myself ready.
“Then, good luck.” With those last words, he left, making his way towards the entrance, leaving me alone.
Just like that, I stood there as I waited for him to leave.
“Haa….”
Then, taking my mask out, I breathed an air of refreshment and cooled my head. The air was fresh, and the scent of forest was all around me.
The dungeon was vast and teeming with life; unlike the sterile environment of the academy this time, I could see a faint life of wildness oozing from the forest. Tall trees with leaves in shades of green towered above, their branches forming a natural canopy that filtered the sunlight and cast dappled shadows on the forest floor.
The ground was covered with a layer of soft moss, and small, colorful flowers peeked out from between the undergrowth. The air was filled with the soothing melody of birdsong and the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze.
But I knew it was nothing but an illusion. Because, behind that gentle breeze, my eyes could perk the signs of fighting. Even a faint smell of blood lingered around, showing a battle happening around here.
That meant even the entrance was not safe, though for now, I couldn’t sense any presence of monsters.
As I took a step forward, the ground beneath me seemed to pulse with faint energy, and I could sense the presence of mana flowing through the area. It was a subtle yet unmistakable feeling, a reminder that this was no ordinary forest but a place where magic and danger coexisted.
The dungeon had a mysterious aura about it, an air of unpredictability that kept me on my guard. Every step I took felt like a journey into the unknown as if there were secrets lurking behind every tree and bush.
And that was because of the monsters that lived in this place. The information of which type of monsters habilitated this dungeon was already given to me by [Wildcatter].
There were three types of monsters living here.
‘Harmonic Chatterers.’
It was the first type of monster. They were monsters that looked like monkeys, but since they came from a different world with mana, they evolved.
SHRIEK
Just as I was thinking about them, a loud shriek came from the forest.
It was their skill or classical characteristics. They are monsters labeled intermediate rank-2. Their physical affinity is not that strong, but they are known for their loud screams and sound attacks from range.
And they tend to wander around in groups.
Just as I was thinking about that, I sensed a presence of a couple of monsters beside me.
SWOOSH
Coupled with the leaves rustling, a monster rushed at me at a rapid speed.
It was a monster with dog-wolf-type features, but at the same time, it looked humanoid since it attacked me with his two arms raised.
I could feel the killing intent behind its attacks, but I was already ready for such cases.
CLANK
With my daggers raised, I blocked its paws immediately.
‘I was planning to use the bow and my gun, but for now, let’s deal with this first.’
With that thought, I imbued my daggers with mana. This time, the color of my mana was white different from the red color at that time. I didn’t know what caused the color of mana to change, but I somehow felt different from that time.
If crimson-colored mana made me more bloodthirsty than this one made me swifter…
SWOOSH
The Kobold lunged at me again with a fierce-looking face, its claws aimed at my chest.
SWOOSH
I swiftly sidestepped, avoiding its attack, and counterattacked with a swift kick to its side. The creature staggered but quickly regained its balance, growling in anger.
“Grrr….”
SWOOSH
As it charged at me once more, it was time to end the monster. Kobolds were beginner rank-2 monsters and were weaker than most others, and their specialty was their speed.
But that also made them weak in terms of body health. When it comes to glass cannon fights, the first one to land an attack always wins. That was the basic rule most would know.
SLASH SLASH SLASH
With a series of rapid slashes, I slashed the Kobold in a second of time at least thrice, causing it to back off momentarily.
THUD
“Grrrrr….”
However, the monster was not easily deterred. It snarled and leaped back into the fray, attacking with renewed ferocity. But that was what I was waiting for. His legs were injured.
I was not mindlessly swinging my daggers but aiming at his natural weaknesses. His tendons were cut. Thus, his speed was lower, and his attacking posture was deterred. After all, a mindless monster could never know how to correct its mistakes.
“This is your end.”
SWOOSH 𝑂𝒱xt.𝗇t
With that, I lowered my center of gravity as I swiftly dodged the attack.
STAB
And then, I stabbed the monster with my dagger in my right hand. Blood spilled to the ground from his wound as the monster staggered once again.
“Auuu….” A scream of agony left its mouth, but I didn’t care.
SLASH
Following my stab, I finished the monster with a clean cut on its neck, severing the monster’s head from its body.
THUD SPURT
As the head fell to the ground, blood started flowing like a fountain, though I had already increased the distance.
‘Good…. My dagger movements feel a lot smoother.’ I thought to myself after seeing the kobold on the ground. The dagger that was given from the academy was certainly one of the best out there. Even though I coated it with mana, I still cut the monster swiftly.
‘Though this one doesn’t have a core.’ Without caring, I stored the body of the kobold on my bracelet and started walking again.
It was time to make some money, and I was going to make the most out of this opportunity.
Just like that, I activated my skill [Keen Eye] and started observing the monsters around, locating every bit of them.
‘For now, only kobolds do seem to be around. I guess the beginning area of the dungeon does have less mana concentration.’
The way Dungeons worked was actually pretty similar to the Ecology of Wildness. Those who studied biology would know the term Species Distribution and the things that affect it.
Anyway, without diverging from the topic too much, the more mana that was concentrated around the place, the stronger monsters would occupy it, just like how capitalism worked. Strong would get stronger, and the weak could only eat dirt.
That was the same for this one. The outskirts of the dungeon had less mana concentration. Thus, the weaker monsters are occupied here, meaning kobolds.
With my [Keen Eye] skill activated, I could sense the presence of several kobolds scattered throughout the outskirts of the dungeon. They were hiding in the shadows, lurking behind trees and bushes, waiting for potential prey to come their way.
But, I was the shadows. There was a reason why I chose this dense forest as the dungeon. It was because I wanted to make use of my trait [Shadowborne]. While training in the rooms, I noticed that this trait was a lot stronger in the presence of shadows or darkness and weaker when it was daytime.
Thus escaping from the light enabled me to have a better stealth, basically.
I carefully moved through the forest, keeping my guard up and my senses sharp. As I spotted a group of three kobolds ahead, I decided it was time to put my new gun to the test.
Reaching for the spatial bracelet on my wrist, I retrieved the sleek black handgun. It felt reassuringly cool in my hand as I aimed it at the nearest kobold.
Taking a deep breath, I steadied my aim. The important thing for a ranger was always keeping your concentration and observing the changes in your surroundings.
With my posture ready to shoot, I imbued my mana on the bullet. Even though I couldn’t see it, I could feel the mana enhancing it.
Then I pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The gun let out a loud report, and the bullet flew through the air with deadly precision. It struck the kobold in the chest, causing it to yelp in pain and stumble back.
BANG! BANG!
Before the other two could react, I fired two more shots, taking them down one by one.
The loud noise of the gunshots echoed through the forest, and I knew that I had alerted nearby monsters to my presence. But, before they could spot me, I was already blended into the shadows.
“Grrr….” “Grrr…..” “Grrr…”
Sure enough, more kobolds emerged from the shadows, their eyes filled with rage and hunger.
But that only meant one simple thing for me.
It was the fact that more monsters appeared before me to kill.
“Huff….” Blended into the shadows, I repositioned myself, climbing on top of the tree.
‘I need to train my environmental adaptation as well.’ I thought, not happy with the speed of my climbing. But that was for a later time. After all, I couldn’t do everything at the same time, right?
“Keen Eye.”
My eyes were sharpened as I calmly aimed my gun at each one in turn. Perceiving their weaknesses and the pathways that were stimulated in my brain, I tensed my muscles.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Firing with deadly accuracy. The gun made short work of the monsters, and soon, the area around me was littered with defeated kobolds.
Seven of them were lying on the grounds, and I could sense more coming.
It was time to massacre monsters…..