Episode 24

“I-i-is this perhaps a ‘Trial’?”

I approached Meowi, whose jaw seemed like it would drop, and quietly closed it for her.

It might actually fall off, so while I was at it, I also gave her plump cheeks a little touch.

“M-meow. Don’t touch me. Ah, anyway, is this really a Trial?”

“Yes. And actually, it’s the first discovery.”

“M-my goodness!!!”

Hmm, is it that great? But I guess that’s because I’m the Supervisor.

[Trial]

A flow from another world found in dungeons inside the gate.

Commonly referred to as a dungeon within a dungeon, it was a kind of instant dungeon.

‘Let’s check the condition first.’

As I touched the dimensional gate, the swirling blue light turned red.

With a ringing sound, this golden ticket appeared around the wrists of me and Meowi, shaped like a ring.

Interestingly, it had a turtle’s head drawn on it… probably because of that ‘Pearl Spitting Tortoise’ guy.

“I can’t believe it… Is this really… an undiscovered trial? And with priority access?!”

[Priority]

A special system that only appears when there are no discoverers, like with [Dungeons] or the [Trial] right before our eyes.

Having priority allows one to enter and challenge it first.

At the same time, it blocks others without priority from entering it at the same time or until it’s cleared.

Of course, it couldn’t block others indefinitely; after a certain period, it naturally disappears and becomes open for challenge again.

‘…Well, even if found by luck, many sell the priority if the level is too high…’

I heard that alone could fetch at least 50 million won.

Places rich in resources or materials were said to be worth billions, essentially making them goldmines.

And the essence of priority was precisely a ‘binding’.

For the first time, success in conquest results in being bound by this concept.

Once bound, that place essentially becomes one’s own private front yard.

I knew this much, so I didn’t think much of it, but the following statement was something that also shocked me.

Wait, what?

Did it just say [Divinity]?

‘Woah, the first discoverer gets the [Divinity] attribute added. I’ve only just realized this.’

[Divinity] was overwhelmingly rare compared to other stats, setting aside its performance and efficiency.

It rarely appeared as a reward, and even after hundreds of dungeon runs, it might barely increase by 1.

This was because it provided an opportunity to meet an NPC called a [God] who held an absolute position with various characteristics.

“And you can also learn skills related to Divinity.”

In fact, the best reason was something else entirely—reputation.

‘GAL’ was a world where the power of a group called the Church wielded significant power.

To join this order, one’s Divinity attribute had to be at least 1, and if it were, they would treat you well, calling you ‘brother’ or ‘sister.’

‘This means I’ll have many more options moving forward.’

Suddenly struck by unexpected luck, I was left dazed.

My brain froze, making it hard to establish a plan.

Well, what’s good is good.

I decided to take my time and think it over, and once again, I was certain.

This world was indeed the “Gonis Archive Life” I knew, but the information I knew was scant, almost like early-stage game level.

‘Is it obvious? I might be the only guide here.’

This place was considered one of the easiest trials within the community.

The requirement was just two pure-hearted individuals, and the toughest part was merely the Dream Forest we had just passed.

In reality, just an hour after the update, the first discoverer came out and got a special reward (Sacred +1) from the GM, and everyone followed suit as if it were a piece of cake, following the guide strategy post that was uploaded.

Thus, on the day I first went to register with the Guild.

I naturally assumed that this place had already been figured out.

‘…but it wasn’t.’

“Why?” The reason soon made sense.

The condition called ‘innocence’ is literally the term for a novice.

Perhaps in a game.

But in reality, no novice would wander around an ‘unexplored’ area, risking their own life.

Especially not knowing the forest paths.

That must be why it hadn’t been discovered till now.

“Meowi, let’s start entering. It’s going to get dark if we move like this…”

I couldn’t finish my sentence.

Because Meowi had frozen like a stone with the status window open in front of her.

When I tapped her on the shoulder out of curiosity, she just fell over with a ‘thud…’

This is crazy.

“M-meowi!”

“…In mind, in magic, in trials, in priority, even in Divinity… really? Really…? Someone like me, a dropout… having such an encounter? Is this a dream? It must be a dream. It has to be.”

“Meowi, snap out of it! You can’t be shocked by just this much! I’ll take you on more rides in the coming future!”

“…Yes, Dad, I’m sorry. I think I might be dead. This must be heaven. Yes. I’ll be there soon.”

“Meowi! If you don’t wake up, I’ll thoroughly mess with your cheeks and tails right now.!”

“……”

Sigh, this is more serious than I thought.

It can’t be helped.

‘Maybe we should rest a bit before going in.’

Meanwhile, I guess I’d just have to keep touching my cute Meowi’s cheeks.

“…I still can’t believe that I’m seeing something so precious with my own two eyes…”

When she regained her senses, Meowi touched the dimensional gate here and there, her voice filled with emotion.

It made me a bit curious.

“Is it that precious?”
“Of course!”

Meowi jumped up in response to my question, hissing fiercely right at me!

Pleased with Meowi’s characteristic behavior, I continued speaking.

“Aren’t there more places like this anyway? I seem to recall that undiscovered dungeons also ‘appear’ frequently in the ‘fields’ according to newspapers and news.”

“No, Seha! ‘Trials’ are far more valuable than dungeons! The rarity of the monsters that appear and the rewards are on a different level than the normal ones! That’s why. There aren’t many known trials in the world.”

“How many are there?”

“As far as I know, only about 30 have been disclosed in our country. Of course, the major [Clans] haven’t revealed everything, so that number seems low, but even considering that, it wouldn’t exceed 50.”

‘That is indeed few.’

To think that was all there was, even combined.

I was an old-timer and professional broadcaster of ‘GAL’.
Exploring all sorts of routes for viewership based on the latest updates.
It was no exaggeration to say that I knew almost all the information.

‘I remember about 70 trials just off the top of my head.’

Adding [Hidden Piece] and other hidden items seemed tough but possible.

Completing the main story with a happy ending without the aid of paid goods.

Of course, there was one more crucial point.

I stroked the head of the bouncing Meowi.

“…Meow. I-I’m e-embarrassed.”
“…Hehe.”
“Meowi!”

Helping the characters I want to protect and giving them the ending they desire.
That is the most crucial role I, as a guide, must prioritize.

We stepped into the dimensional gate.

“Ugh, I’m feeling exhausted.”

Upon entering, Meowi groaned as our stats decreased.

Hmm, definitely… Even though it only decreased by 1, I felt drained, too.

The Silverback’s [Land Leveling] and the ‘debuff’ types unexpectedly felt powerful.

I first increased the intensity of [Unprecedented Sense].

Ziiing!

Just like when I first used the trait, fiery red flames blazed fiercely around.

Sweat cooled down on my forehead due to the sudden change and pressure, but I didn’t mind all this.

‘I need to figure out where that guy is and head there.’

The chances were low, but he could be in some weird place.

Before long, I detected red eyes watching from deep within the lake.

At the same time, I was certain it was him, given the body, which looked like a house.

“Wow, Seha, look there.”

In the meantime, Meowi, who had been looking around, exclaimed in admiration.

What appeared before us was a beautiful forest that looked like it had been decorated.

And in the very center was a lake of emerald green in the shade.

The landscape looked like a painting, and Meowi’s tails swayed gently.

“…Indeed, dungeons are magnificent.”

“Being a hunter. It is good not to give up, right?”

Startled slightly by my question, Meowi smiled broadly and nodded her head.

“But Seha, where is the monster in here? I can’t feel it’s presence no matter how much I look or try to feel it.”

She also used her [Cat’s Intuition] to its fullest, vigilantly monitoring the surroundings.

It seemed she was worried because she couldn’t sense anything at all.

I understood her, though.

Not even a common wild animal, let alone a monster, was visible around this place.

“There’s nothing in the forest.”

“…Huh? Eh? Then?”

With a broad smile, I pointed not to the forest, but to the lake.

Specifically inside the lake.

After staring blankly for about two seconds, Meowi’s eyes widened in surprise.

A cute scream of ‘Meowww~’ escaped her open mouth, and after a moment, she regained her senses and grabbed onto me.

“S-Seha. This is too much! Neither of us has the [Underwater Breathing] trait! Even if it’s just a minor mob, in the water, we cannot–”

“It’s not a normal mob. Didn’t it say so in the message? It’s the local boss.”

“…Could this be the [Boss Rush Room]?!”

[Boss Rush].

Unlike dungeons flooded with traps and minor mobs, this was a clean structure featuring only bosses.

As all the focus was on a single boss, the boss’s specs were relatively high compared to the difficulty level of the dungeon.

“…Euh… th-this won’t do. Water… and a boss?”

Meowi’s complexion turned pale.

Well, it was a natural reaction from anyone.

Hunters were fundamentally superhuman, but that didn’t mean they were unaffected by the environment they were in.

Among them, underwater combat is particularly hellish.

But that is only the case when you actually fight in the water.

“There’s no need to fight on its home turf.”

“…Eh?”

I smiled broadly and showed the bottle attached to my waist.

A bottle containing the tongue and venom of a goblin I had hunted on my way here.

I added the Normal-grade acid I bought from Im Hyeja to it and shook it like a bartender making a drink.

After a while, the venom subtly transformed.

I then poured it into the lake.

At the spreading toxic smell, Meowi, who was watching from behind, backed away, hissing.

“M-Meow… Seha, did you, by any chance, learn alchemy?”

How could that be possible?

Casual potion making was the domain of the [Alchemist] class.

What I used was an ‘aggro-increasing’ item discovered by other veteran Supervisors experimenting with various things in the game.

Though it didn’t have an official name in the system.
Like just now, it emitted a foul smell, and it was particularly effective in water.

This would shatter the cold judgment of the boss within and ignite its fiery rage.

Koo-goo-goo-goo!

‘Here it comes. Speak of the devil.’

It took less than 5 seconds for it to respond to the poison.

The quiet, beautiful emerald lake, which was quiet till then, began to shake with fury.

Bubbles rose and burst, and dense magic brushed past us.

Shiver!

“S-Seha…”

Meowi’s complexion turned pale at the residual magic, which was different from those we had met before.

I looked at her and clenched my hand tightly.

“Don’t worry. Meowi. I chose you out of everyone else. Believe in yourself.”

You can do it.

“…Yes.”

“Meowi. I’m going to brief you now. So listen carefully.”

I watched the rising bubbles and told her what needed to be done.

Meowi listened silently.

She looked slightly surprised at first, but soon nodded after meeting my eyes, like she understood this.

The command I had given was simple.

But at the same time, it was the most crucial thing.

The key to clearing this place, [The Garden of Pearl Spitting Tortoise], lay in her hands.

A moment later.

With rough ripples, a stream of water burst forth.

A giant softshell turtle, easily 10 meters in size, appeared before us.

Uniquely, it had a pouch-like wattle around its neck, and within it dangled a shining bead.

The Pearl Spitting Tortoise, filled with rage, scoured the surroundings like hunting mice.

In the creature’s eyes, a girl as small as a mouse dramatically slammed her large shield onto the ground with a thud.

“…Come, come at me!!”
“Grrrr!”

Ma Hana.

It was the moment when the girl, with her resolve, embraced fully, confronted the boss.