Getting past the guard was absurdly easy.
I scraped off part of Exa's blade in its ‘White Dream’ state, wrapped it in paper, and gave it to Bisu.
Afterward, Bisu approached the guard using Stealth and sprinkled White Dream powder on them.
And after about one to two minutes.
“Zzz...”
Just like that, the guard, unable to control his body, leaned against the wall and fell asleep.
The guard watching over this dungeon wasn’t a contracted worker but an ‘E-rank’ Hunter, yet when it ca to being neutralized by White Dream, there was no difference between an ordinary person and a Hunter.
“If it seems dangerous to you, you can wait outside. It doesn't affect , but you’re not immune to poison.”
“Hey. Are you going to keep underestimating ? I’ve got so experience in dungeons too, you know?”
“Arrogance leads to death. Who knows how many idiots like you have died here?"
– Kkwang!
"Ugh….."
Bisu stared at Brie with a disapproving gaze.
As always, Brie was quite excited to enter the Poison Dungeon.
“Damn miniature dragon-looking thing…”
– Kku?
Bisu grumbled at Brie for a mont, then rummaged through her pockets.
“Here. You take one too.”
"What's this?"
“It’s an ampoule developed by our crew. The scent inside agitates monsters and draws them to one spot. Poison-types, in particular, go absolutely wild for it.”
"Like a decoy... or sothing?"
"That's right. Finally catching up. Sprinkle this in a secluded area, and the two of us will start the operation from a distance. You’d prefer an easy path to the boss monster too, right?"
"Hmm....."
It was definitely a good item.
Though my plan was a bit different from what Bisu had in mind.
But there was sothing I was more curious about.
“I don’t think Yaksha ever ntioned this ampoule.”
“So what? You don't want it even though it's free?"
"Of course not. It's just..."
I looked at Bisu’s sharp eyes with a faint smile.
"It feels like you're specially looking out for because you're worried I might get hurt."
“What a load of bullshit.”
Bisu scoffed without a mont’s hesitation.
Though, I think her lips twitched a little before she answered.
Maybe I was just imagining it.
"You finishing the job quickly makes things easier for too, you know? The antidote doesn’t last all day."
"As they say, strong denial usually ans affirmation..…"
Whoosh.
As if she didn’t want to hear another word, Bisu threw the ampoule at .
Then she popped a few small pills into her mouth.
“Ugh… bitter.”
It was the antidote she needed to take before entering the Poison Dungeon.
Since Bisu entered the dungeon using Stealth, there was no chance of being attacked by monsters.
However, she had to be cautious of the toxic elents flowing in the air.
This was exactly the part that even the most skilled hunters struggled with before encountering any monsters.
Even putting combat aside, breathing alone was difficult, making it a struggle from the very start.
"How long will it last?"
"Three hours. But I'll be back in two and a half hours."
"Two and a half hours... That should be enough."
“Heh. You sound so confident. Do you even know where the monsters are hiding?”
“It doesn’t matter where they are.”
When I gave a strange smile, two faint lines appeared between Bisu’s brows.
“Because I’m going to lure them all out.”
"What do you an….."
Before Bisu could even finish speaking, I sprayed the ampoule all over my body.
“Whoa! Hey, you crazy bastard!”
Bisu jumped up on the spot and stared at in shock.
It must be utterly incomprehensible from her perspective that I used the ampoule ant as a decoy on myself instead.
But the real reason I was hunting for the Poison Monsters wasn’t the rare herbs.
I absorbed cores from the Poison Monsters, accumulating Black Aether.
With that, I grew stronger, and stronger.
To the point where no one can weigh my life against anyone else anymore.
This is why I’ve been drawn to Poison Dungeons even before becoming a hunter.
In that sense, this ampoule was an incredibly valuable item to .
Just like grinding in an online ga, I could gather mobs together and hold an experience event.
“Haha. You’d better hurry up. Sticking with won’t do you any favors.”
“You psychopath! Freak! Lunatic!”
With those warm farewells, she dashed off in a flash.
Encountering monsters was sothing I yearned for.
Rather than having them get in the way as I pass through, it was easier to clear them all at once. Yeah.
Shiing.
Exa’s blade, which had been glowing white, returned to its original black color.
Anyone cut by this dagger would now fall into a sleep comparable to even death itself.
“Wow……”
The ampoule’s effectiveness was undeniable.
Not long after entering the dungeon forest’s edge, a massive goblin gathering (!) was taking place.
– Grrr.
Just as expected from the black market.
The effectiveness was solid.
I activated the Black Aether and gripped Exa tightly.
* * *
[Infected Goblin
Type: Poison, Warrior
Elimination Difficulty: 1 star (★)
Physical Level:‘E-rank’
Other Attributes: ‘D-rank’]
This was the information displayed on V1 for these creatures.
Needless to say, their ‘Other Attributes’ reflected their toxicity, and their Physical Level was also one tier below mine.
At this level, there was no need to even use ‘Poison Steps’.
I took them down as effortlessly as sweeping away fallen leaves, to the point where the ‘Warrior’ type designation felt almost embarrassing.
Slash.
– Grrk!!
100?
No, I think it was over 200.
The King of poisons, whose re touch spelled death.
Black Aether is both the energy source of my body and the most potent extre poison in existence.
Its lethality far surpassed that of the ‘Monster Poison’ that has tornted my entire life.
Slash.
Thud—
I severed the neck of the last goblin in sight.
At first, they seed confused, unsure of what had just grazed them, but within monts, their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed.
It took longer to extract their Black Cores than to actually take them down.
Eventually, due to ti constraints, I had to start skipping the weaker ones.
[User Info
Black Aether Held: 2332BA
Physical Enhancent Ability: 'D-rank’
Self-Healing Ability: 'S-rank'
Abilities: Poison Steps - Level 2]
This was the info V1 gave after the goblin massacre.
Now, the amount of Black Aether I’ve generated and absorbed on my own has surpassed what Kiril initially handed over to .
It was a bit disappointing that my other levels were stuck in place, but seeing my steadily growing Black Aether gave a sense of satisfaction.
“Sniff sniff.”
A familiar scent wafted around .
No, more precisely, it was a scent I've tried to get used to.
When Black Aether spreads throughout my body, it doesn’t just strengthen my muscle tissue, it heightens every nerve, sharpening all my senses. Thus my sense of sll.
I was not quite at the level where I could detect Stealth skill yet, but I could pick up distinctive scents from far away.
The heightened sensitivity of my nose was already pointing in the right direction.
Rare herb.
A scent similar to Cuprum Bloom was calling out to from beyond.
“Desert?”
A dense forest that was just behind , and now suddenly a desert?
It was an incredibly jarring contrast.
They said any kind of environnt could exist inside a dungeon, looks like they weren't wrong.
A rare herb in the middle of a desert.
How strong must its vitality be to grow in such a barren place?
Rustle, rustle.
I walked through various parts of the desert, following the scent.
There was not a single spot without a clear view in all directions, nothing in sight.
Conversely, that also ant the thing that should be here was nowhere to be seen.
'Where is it?'
Rare herbs only grow near boss monsters.
Judging by the strong scent of the herb, there was definitely a boss mob sowhere nearby.
But no matter where I looked, there was not even a single life form in sight, let alone a boss.
Could soone have already taken it?
No, that couldn't be. If the boss monster had been defeated, the dungeon would’ve already vanished.
Just as I was scanning the area for the rare herb.
A sudden chill ran down my spine.
Crack.
Fwoosh!!
It was such a swift ambush that my body reacted by using Poison Steps.
The direction the attack ca from was directly below.
Beneath the desert sand.
'I almost got knocked over.’
The attack was threatening enough to send a chill through my chest.
It was a creature with countless legs and a hard shell that looked tough enough to deflect most weapons.
A giant creature, poking half its body out and tilting its head curiously.
I stared it down and summoned V1.
[Venomous Centipede
Type – Poison
Elimination Difficulty: 4 stars (★★★★)
Physical Level: ‘B-rank’
Other Attributes: ‘A-rank’]
"Fuck..."
I knew the dungeon was rated 4 stars (★★★★), so I ca prepared, but it turned out to be even more challenging than I expected.
An ambush pattern from underground was a first for , and more than anything, our compatibility was terrible.
The sandy terrain of the desert made it difficult to use Poison Steps effectively.
Fwoosh!
“Cough!”
The venomous centipede burrowed back into the ground, only to soon lunge again from beneath, thrusting its vicious horn upward.
Damn it.
Its presence was hard to sense beneath the sand.
Forget finding the rare herb, I was barely managing to dodge its relentless attacks.
I couldn't even perform ‘Poison Steps’ at half its usual capability in this soft, shifting desert.
On top of that, its physical level was a ‘B’.
It wasn't sothing I, a newly promoted ‘D-rank’ Hunter, could handle.
‘What do I do…?’
While I was pondering various strategies, the creature surged up from underground once again.
Thump!
This ti, I couldn’t dodge perfectly.
Its horn scraped across my thigh.
Drip.
Blood soaks into my pants, but there was no ti to care about that.
What should I do?
'I can kill it. But......'
If I parried its attack once and slashed it with Exa, the fight would be over quickly.
But if I did that, the rare herb nearby would lose its life too.
I had to neutralize this 4-star (★★★★) monster without killing it.
Even most A-rank hunters would find this difficult.
“Why has it gone quiet all of a sudden?”
The mont its attack failed, the creature that had been hiding under the sand now cautiously poked its creepy upper body out. Like waves in the ocean its body peaking in and out of the sand.
As if.
It was waiting for sothing.
Co to think of it, I haven't seen its full body, have I?
How big was it exactly…?
Thwack!
I couldn’t even finish thinking about it, a dizzying blow struck from behind.
“Ugh.”
I was sent flying several ters, crashing face-first into the sandy ground.
So this is what a physical level ‘B’ attack feels like.
My spine felt like it had been snapped in two.
Before I could even ease the pain, sothing flashed up from beneath my head.
Fwoosh!
I rolled my body desperately and barely managed to block its attack.
It charged with its horn from the front and ambushed with its tail from behind. Read full story at noveⅼfire
Gritting my teeth, I got back up and pulled out small spheres from my pocket.
Click, clack...
Monsters who hit with their brutal attacks usually react like that.
How was I still alive? They seem to ask
They don’t know.
The fleeting mont was one of the few chances they had.
“Phht!”
I spat out blood and began dissolving the black sphere into Black Aether.
These were the remaining Black Cores I had extracted from goblins earlier.
I could have absorbed as many as I wanted, but leaving so behind turned out to be a stroke of genius.
By absorbing Black Aether, not only did it restore my stamina, but it also instantly healed any wounds on my body.
Like drinking a potion, I inhaled the Black Aether into my body.
Shrrrr...
The pain in my thigh wound and back began to fade.
Maybe angered by my recovery.
The creature burrowed back into the sand with an agitated motion.
Fuck.
I was the one who should be more angry here.
Though I recovered quickly, the situation remained unchanged.
Because Poison Steps has lost its effectiveness, I was barely managing to dodge its attacks.
The Exa in my White Dream state was stuck in my hand, with no chance to swing it.
“This is useless like this.”
Twitch.
“?”
Did I just imagine that?
It felt like Exa flinched at being called useless.
Vmmmmm.
It wasn’t my imagination.
Exa trembled on its own, then slipped free from my grasp.
Whoosh!
Before I could catch it again, I had to roll away once more to dodge the centipede’s attack.
anwhile, Exa began transforming in its original form ‘mid-air’.
Clink, clink.
Oh…
I’ve seen sothing like that in a movie before.
You know, the scenes where machines transform themselves.
Exa, which had returned to its original cubic form, split in half, transforming into a long, oval shape.
If I had to describe the shape…
Footprints.
Yeah, it looked like footprints.
Clank.
Exa, having returned to its master, burrowed into the sand and attached itself to the sole of my sneaker.
What on earth was it trying to do?
V1 answered in its place.
[User Information
Exa Shift Evolution: Exa can now be used not only in its offensive Dagger form but also in a Mobility form (Booster).]
Booster?
Did it just say booster?
“Oh….”
The sensation underfoot was definitely different.
It felt like I was standing on flat ground, or sothing even harder than flat ground.
Curious, I glanced down, and saw that Exa, attached to the sole of my sneaker, was releasing Black Aether downward into the ground.
Exa had solved the problem of the desert’s soft, uneven terrain.
“Good. At this level…”
The effectiveness of Exa in its booster form beca imdiately apparent.
Thud!!
Just by using Poison Steps like before, the venomous centipede missed its attack and couldn’t even locate my shadow.
I was now able to move much faster than when I usually used Poison Steps.....!
‘At this rate, I could even go toe-to-toe with Kiril’s Poison Steps.’
Behind the bewildered venomous centipede, I was satisfied.
A smirk making its way on my lips.
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