𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 30
‘Is it Stealth?’
Even if I couldn’t see her, it wasn’t a problem. Having acquired Phantom Shift, I knew Stealth couldn’t last indefinitely. If I just waited, she would reveal herself soon enough.
Pas-
‘There!’
As expected, the player appeared a few steps behind me. She was aiming her bow in my direction, and as soon as her position was revealed, she fired an arrow.
And I, too, used a skill in response.
“Elsyke’s Phantom Shift!”
I dodged the arrow without difficulty. Furthermore, the effect of Phantom Shift moved me behind the player, hidden by Stealth. The arrow naturally flew towards the phantom, which deflected the incoming arrow with some surprising skill.
“Tsk.”
‘Huh?’
The player clicked her tongue, seemingly disappointed. Judging by her reaction, it seemed she didn’t even realize the figure in front of her was a phantom.
‘Is it that indistinguishable to the human eye?’
Well, it was good either way. This was an opportunity. Since I was hidden by Stealth, she couldn’t pinpoint my location. Thinking I could kill her in one fell swoop, I suddenly noticed the phantom’s movement.
Pavat!-
A pure white light emanated from the phantom’s body.
Having used it continuously, I knew what that light was.
Jayer’s Guardian Shield.
The phantom, having used that Guardian Shield, was enveloped in a pure white light. The light momentarily illuminated the darkness.
“Wh, What is that?”
‘Wow……’
The player was bewildered, while I admired it silently. Was that what I looked like when using Jayer’s Guardian Shield? It was the same as me, but the sight was breathtaking. Come to think of it, had I ever used it in front of another person?
Ah, there was that one time.
The only time I had used it in front of someone was on the first day, when I defeated the black magician, Zeld. Did I look like that back then too?
‘Anyway, it seems like it’ll win even if I don’t ambush.’
Jayer’s Guardian Shield increased all stats, including defense. If it could maintain its duration, it was strong enough to fight a wolf on equal footing.
However, the opponent wasn’t a monster, but a player.
“Stealth.”
‘Don’t even think about it!’
As the player’s form began to disappear, I immediately dashed forward and swung my sword. Stealth only made her invisible; it wasn’t a skill for instantaneous movement. Therefore, I was confident my attack would land, and as proof, a message appeared before me.
[Hit Damage! 139.]
“Aah!”
The moment the attack landed, the player’s Stealth was dispelled. Since my Stealth was also canceled due to the attack, she could now see me.
From her perspective, it probably looked like there were two of me.
“H-How is this……?”
“How is what? You lost.”
It was unexpected, but I had consumed too much Stamina. I only had about 17% left. With this much Stamina, I couldn’t even fight a wolf, so it was better to quickly finish off the player and rest.
“Ugh, you coward!”
“Strong Strike!”
[Skill Mitigation Damage! 31.]
‘As expected, she’s fast.’
The sword I swung with Strong Strike only grazed the player’s body. It didn’t land properly. After facing her directly, I realized how incredibly fast she was. However, just because she dodged my attack didn’t mean it was over.
서걱-
[Phantom Hit Damage! 120.]
The phantom’s strike was cleaner than mine. The player quickly ducked to avoid the next attack, but I aimed for that opening.
푹-
[Hit Damage! 107.]
With the phantom and me attacking alternately, the player seemed to be out of options. She desperately tried to dodge and even took out a potion to drink, but it seemed futile to me.
It was actually impressive that she was holding out this long against two attackers.
‘Wait, hold on.’
The skill Phantom Explosion suddenly came to mind. It was a skill that dealt damage based on the phantom’s remaining HP. Moreover, the phantom was currently using Jayer’s Guardian Shield.
Level 2 Jayer’s Guardian Shield increased HP by 1,000, so……
“Phantom Explosion.”
번쩍-
Along with the command, an ominous light emanated from the attacking phantom.
At that moment, an ominous light emanated from the attacking phantom. A bright blue light, as bright as pure white. As that light quickly engulfed the phantom’s form, the player, sensing something was wrong, jumped back.
Kwaaaaang!!-
[Skill Mitigation Damage! 211.]
‘Whoa, is that explosion damage?’
Although I couldn’t confirm it properly due to the damage mitigation, the effect of Jayer’s Guardian Shield was definitely applied. And if Jayer’s Guardian Shield was in effect, this Phantom Explosion wasn’t a useless skill.
No, it might actually be the strongest skill I possessed.
“Damn it.”
“You would have survived if you had stayed hidden quietly.”
I put aside my thoughts on Phantom Explosion for a moment and focused on the player in front of me. However, as if she had heard my words, the player glared at me with eyes full of rage.
“Crazy, you’re telling me to just hand over the dungeon I worked so hard to find?!”
“You talk as if it’s your dungeon?”
Thinking back, Dawn’s Light had said something similar. They had claimed that since they found the dungeon, they would monopolize it.
And in response to my words, the player cried out in frustration.
“Of course it’s my dungeon! I found it with my own skill!”
“Skill?”
She found the dungeon with a skill?
Perhaps because of my puzzled expression, or maybe she saw this as a chance to survive, her words became even more rapid.
“Dungeons aren’t just found randomly. They can only be found with Exploration skills. And this dungeon is the one I finally managed to find this morning.”
“…… “
So…… dungeons only appear if you find them with an Exploration skill? I almost wandered around all day with no results. I didn’t have an Exploration skill right now.
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. But you also spouted nonsense about finding the dungeon yourself!”
“Lower your voice, will you?”
“…… “
What if the wolves came because of her shouting?
At my irritated tone, she closed her mouth. We had already gauged each other’s strength. Perhaps realizing there was no chance of winning if she continued to fight, her attitude softened slightly.
‘Sigh, what should I do?’
If her words were true, it seemed like I was in the wrong. Of course, I had no intention of admitting it. I couldn’t even imagine how this feisty woman would react if I admitted my mistake.
‘Should I try to compromise?’
After a brief contemplation, I proposed a reasonable compromise.
“Honestly, I don’t intend to steal the dungeon. I’ll just level up to around 20 and get the Set Item, then I’ll disappear. How about it?”
“You won’t even reach level 20?”
“In this game, skills are more important than levels.”
Despite my answer, she wore a contemplative expression. Was it a serious issue to ponder over? And the answer that came after her deliberation betrayed my expectations.
“No. I need to sell it before that damn guild takes it.”
“Sell it?”
“How can I protect the dungeon alone? Maybe if there were a few of us, but if a guild comes in force, it’ll be impossible to defend. And I can’t stay in the dungeon forever, can I? So I have to sell it for money.”
‘Selling a dungeon too……’
It was a novel concept for me, who had only sold equipment until now.
“How much are you selling it for?”
“The dungeon? I sold the one I found yesterday for 500,000 won in cash…… No, why am I even telling you this?!”
“You should tell me. Or what? Want to keep fighting?”
“…… “
She looked at me as if I was the most ridiculous person in the world, but I simply ignored her.
‘500,000 won, huh……’
It was cheaper than I expected. The number of dungeons must be limited, and other players would be diligently searching for them too, wouldn’t they? In short, the competition was fierce. If the amount earned amidst such competition was only 500,000 won, it wasn’t a good deal.
“Tell me more about this Exploration skill.”
“……Exploration skills can find dungeons, hidden devices, or even quests. Just think of it as a skill for exploration.”
“So you can’t find dungeons without an Exploration skill?”
“As far as I know, absolutely not. That’s why dungeons in this game are owned by guilds.”
‘I see.’
Hearing her explanation, I remembered Earth, who had done a quest with me today. When he was looking for the hidden book, the reason he was muttering strangely while wandering around must have been because he was using an Exploration skill. Everything made sense now.
“It’s a skill I definitely need to learn.”
“More importantly, what are you going to do with me?”
“You? Well? How about we just ignore each other?”
It was a considerable concession on my part. To be honest, I did feel a bit guilty. After all, I was essentially saying I would hunt in the dungeon she found without her permission.
“Are you seriously thinking of hunting here?”
“I’m not saying I’ll steal your livelihood. I’ll quietly leave once the dungeon is sold. I’ll just hunt until then.”
Even as I said it, I felt shameless. But what choice did I have? I wanted to level up and get the Set Item somehow.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“What are you going to do if you don’t?”
I never said I would go all the way.
“……You thief. Do whatever you want.”
“Alright, then you take care too.”
Having somehow obtained permission, I was about to leave, but…… my Stamina bothered me. Checking it, I saw it was at 16%. Judging that it wouldn’t be enough to hunt wolves, I reluctantly sat down to rest.
“What? You’re not leaving?”
“I’m low on Stamina.”
“Stamina?”
The player looked at me with a surprised expression. Ah, was she thinking of attacking again because I was out of Stamina? Just in case, I said,
“Just so you know, your attack power won’t be enough.”
“Who said anything about that? Hmm, Stamina, huh……?”
The player seemed to be thinking about something before she finally spoke.
“I see. As expected, you also obtained an A-rank skill.”
A-rank skill.
It was an unexpected statement, but thinking about it, anyone could have guessed. Especially Jayer’s Guardian Shield, with its flashy activation, would definitely be considered an A-rank skill or higher by anyone.
“I heard A-rank skills consume a lot of Stamina, and it seems to be true.”
“But they’re efficient in return.”
“Ah~ I’m envious. I want an A-rank skill too.”
But why was she so sure it was an A-rank skill? Didn’t she even consider the possibility of it being an S-rank skill? I figured there must be a reason, but I didn’t want to ask.
Instead, another question came to mind.
“You said you were going to sell the dungeon, right? Wouldn’t it be better to sell the items that drop here instead?”
“That would definitely be better. Even if I sold them for 50,000 won each, it would be a decent profit. The problem is, the monsters here are too strong. It takes me dozens of minutes to kill just one.”
‘So she can kill them.’
Well, I was no different. After killing one, I had to rest for several minutes due to Stamina consumption.
“So it’s better to sell the right to freely enter the dungeon. If you can freely enter, you can come back later to get the items.”
‘Hmm, is that so?’
It didn’t sound bad after hearing her explanation.
If I followed her suggestion, the money from selling the dungeon would be a bonus. Since I could get the items later, there was no loss for her.
“The annoying part is the bastards who try to recruit me into their guilds. People who can find dungeons are rare, so they’re desperate to recruit them.”
Suddenly, I heard her grumbling complaints. I didn’t know why I had to listen to this, but I decided to listen until my Stamina recovered.
“What do you mean by ‘people’?”
“Ah, you wouldn’t know. Exploration skills aren’t sold in the library. As far as we know, the only way to get them is through Random Skillbooks. So guilds are eager to have them.”
‘Not sold?’
My plan to buy an Exploration skill after returning to town was completely shattered. Then how could I learn it? Did I have to buy Random Skillbooks in bulk?
“Even though I look like this, I have a D-rank Exploration skill. You know how amazing D-rank is?…… “
” …… “
If I kept listening quietly, she seemed like she would talk all day. Did she not have any friends? Still, after hearing her story, I thought she was quite impressive.
Finding two dungeons in just two days.
If Exploration skills were only obtainable through Random Skillbooks, then there wouldn’t be many people who had learned it yet. And among them, she had acquired a D-rank Exploration skill. Perhaps there were very few players with a higher rank than hers.
‘Maybe she’ll find another dungeon in a few days?’
Realistically, it might be beneficial to befriend her. If she happened to find a dungeon, I might get a chance to go there.
However……
‘I don’t want to.’
I didn’t like the idea of having to befriend someone solely for a purpose. If it was a mutually beneficial relationship, then maybe, but I didn’t think I needed to force myself to be friendly just for my own gain. After confirming my Stamina had recovered, I immediately stood up.
“So, when I found the quest back then…… Huh? Where are you going?”
“To hunt.”
“Ah, okay? Then I can’t stop you.”
She even waved goodbye as if to say farewell. What an unpredictable personality. I might not see her again after finishing my business in this dungeon, but I still acknowledged her farewell.
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