Episode 95

“See? His strategy is clear.”

Jang Si-hwan, arms crossed, voiced his admiration while watching Kang-hoo fight in the first room.

Kang-hoo, acting as bait, had set up a Wind-Thunder Formation, capturing all the monsters that swarmed in.

The enhanced battle orcs were not particularly resilient, despite their improved combat abilities.

The Wind-Thunder Formation, a skill that scratched and shocked with the power of wind and current, was seen by Jang Si-hwan as difficult to withstand for long.

It was a wide-area skill, and the frequency of its swirling attacks inside made it deadly.

Kweeeee!

With sounds like pigs being slaughtered, the enhanced orcs fell in all directions, torn to shreds.

And whenever Kang-hoo threw his dagger at lightning speed, four or five orcs were pierced through their heads and killed.

The dagger itself was so powerful that it smashed through one orc’s head and then another’s.

Meanwhile,

Kang-hoo was also satisfiedly watching his own firepower.

‘The Calix Ring set I took from Jeon Jong-du this time is exceptionally effective. I can really feel the 250 strength boost.’

The significantly increased strength proved its worth.

Given the assassin’s reliance on strength stats, this was a natural outcome.

‘With life drain, there’s no worry about stamina.’

Kang-hoo, looking at the fallen enhanced orcs, wore a relaxed expression.

Even if there were issues with stamina, he had alternatives, so there was no concern.

Thinking of other hunters who had to manage their stamina without healers or potions, he felt relieved of a great worry.

‘Hurry.’

Kang-hoo increased his speed.

The enhanced orcs didn’t require complex strategies.

The assessment of their combat power and intelligence was complete. The conclusion was to beat them quickly and efficiently. It was simple.

Kang-hoo actively sent out clones made with illusion techniques among the orcs.

The creatures, lacking the insight to distinguish real from fake, attacked whatever was closest.

A predictable response.

In the meantime,

Kang-hoo freely scattered shallow chaos and vision-stealing skills among the orcs, dancing through them with his sword.

The orcs, having no resistance to such mental skills, were completely helpless.

Losing their sense of direction, they struck their own kind or crashed into the wrong places.

For Kang-hoo, it was simple to approach these bumbling orcs from behind and end them by thrusting his dagger into their cervical vertebrae.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Really comfortable. Is this a feast?”

Ban Se-yeong, lying prone and focusing on her target, pulled the trigger with a content expression.

With all of Kang-hoo’s attention on the monsters, no orcs came her way at all.

She was so at ease that she even glanced over at Jang Si-hwan from time to time.

When she had come with Park Dong-jae before, she was the one in the frontline attack position.

Jang Si-hwan was a supportive observer, and Park Dong-jae, being a buffer, found combat challenging.

Indeed, even with other close-range fighter hunters besides Park Dong-jae, Ban Se-yeong’s combat was not easy.

Hunters with the sense to divert attention as neatly as Kang-hoo now were rare.

Many hunters, seeking their own comfort, subtly demanded a division of roles.

She understood the reluctance to suffer alone.

However, for a gunner, for whom aiming, sniping, and positioning were critical, frequent movement was more of a loss than a gain.

Having struggled with this aspect often, Ban Se-yeong found this moment exceptionally blissful.

A gunner, as a gunner, just needed to trust her teammates and repeat aiming and shooting - a ‘new world’ she’d hardly experienced in her gunner life up to level 250.

“I can’t believe it!”

Ban Se-yeong laughed brightly.

Just before entering the battle,

Kang-hoo had confidently spoken the truth. It wasn’t nonsense but reality itself.

It was definitely easier.

At the same time, the speed of the attack had dramatically increased.

This was because Ban Se-yeong’s magic bullet sniping was extraordinarily powerful.

Sometimes, when Kang-hoo saw seven or eight enhanced orcs burst at once, even he was surprised.

In any case, if some orcs seemed interested in Ban Se-yeong, Kang-hoo would divert their attention.

With skills like Shadow Step, which could disorient and change position depending on the situation,

Not a single enhanced orc could comfortably approach Ban Se-yeong from a distance.

At least some of them lost their lives to her magic bullets while trying to approach.

In the end, the orcs stood no chance in the forced battle with Kang-hoo and were helplessly slaughtered.

A perfect speed battle!

The battle in the room, which required facing hundreds of orcs, ended smoothly in just a few minutes.

And then the system’s scoring began.

“Good job.”

“What do you mean, good job? You did everything, oppa.”

Ban Se-yeong came next to Kang-hoo to see the scoring results.

Though each person’s status window displayed the results, it was better to share the joy or sorrow of the outcome together.

[The data of 10,000 randomly selected similar dungeons will be quantified to evaluate this attack.]

The system’s message appeared simultaneously for Kang-hoo, Ban Se-yeong, and Jang Si-hwan.

The world is vast.

Naturally, the number of hunters who have attacked a room of the same type as this one would exceed the whole world’s count.

Therefore, the system’s announcement of quantifying data from 10,000 instances didn’t sound far-fetched.

“What was the previous best record?”

“A. We went all out with full doping on Awakening agents and even rented expensive items, but A was the highest.”

Considering Ban Se-yeong’s skills and Park Dong-jae’s inability to fight, they had expected around a B.

It seems Park Dong-jae’s buff effects were quite good, better than expected by one grade.

Anyway, that was that.

They were curious about this judgment result.

It felt like they had attacked quite quickly, but without a clear benchmark for comparison, it was hard to predict.

Just then.

[After combining the attack time and the average damage per minute inflicted on monsters, you have been awarded an S+ rating.]

[As per the system’s special privilege for an S+ rating, the ‘shortcut’ route of this dungeon is opened.]

[If you maintain an S+ rating by quickly attacking the dungeon, two Hematites will be ‘guaranteed’ as rewards.]

“Wow, is this for real? Crazy?”

Ban Se-yeong stepped back in surprise, took off her goggles, and rubbed her eyes several times.

She couldn’t believe it.

She had thought they might reach an S rating at most, given how cleanly Kang-hoo had set up the play.

Jang Si-hwan thought the same. Being more conservative, he had expected an A+.

But they had exceeded all expectations and received the highest rating.

It meant that the attack was completed quickly, and all monsters were hit with powerful attacks simultaneously.

It wasn’t just luck that the monsters died; it was a clear focus of firepower.

“To guarantee Hematites…”

“Oppa, you’re really crazy!”

Thwack!

Ban Se-yeong hit Kang-hoo’s shoulder.

It was a good thing he was still on edge; otherwise, if he had been relaxed, that hit could have spun his shoulder around.

Ban Se-yeong was equally shocked.

Kang-hoo, too, was drawn to the reward of obtaining Hematite if they maintained this speed to the end.

Since Hematite, essential for skill upgrades, is a rare item difficult to obtain even with money.

Even with abundant wealth, it’s unattainable due to its scarcity. No one is willing to sell it.

Thus, the market price isn’t reflective of actual transaction values but rather represents highly personal transactions between friends or family.

[Especially in the case of this challenger, despite being at the lowest level, they precisely targeted the monster’s vital points.]

[Among the collected dungeon data, they are a remarkable challenger who showed the most significant skill gap relative to their level.]

“Does the system even give compliments…?”

Ban Se-yeong gaped at the continued praise from the system and the printed photo of Kang-hoo. It was a message she had never seen before.

“Huh.”

Kang-hoo chuckled lightly.

Labyrinth dungeons like this evaluate hunters taking on the challenge and praise those with exceptional skills through messages. It’s part of the original setting.

It was familiar to him, but it seemed like a first for Ban Se-yeong. Jang Si-hwan had a similar expression.

[A 5-minute rest period not counted towards the dungeon count is provided.]

[Please complete your preparations and get ready to enter the next room.]

A brief rest period was given.

Kang-hoo retrieved his practice throwing daggers from among the bodies of the enhanced orcs.

And Ban Se-yeong, cooling her overheated gun barrel with special equipment, gave Kang-hoo a thumbs-up.

“Oppa, am I just riding the bus?”

Bus.

It seemed an odd thing for her, considerably higher in level, to say…

But that was the situation.

The driving force and planning clearly lay with Kang-hoo. Everything went as he envisioned.

Next,

The room Kang-hoo and his party entered in the labyrinth dungeon was the ‘Expansion Room.’

Considering the concept of battling like mad previously, the Expansion Room’s setup was simple.

All they had to do was press a gold button on a small altar at the dungeon’s increasingly distant end as time went on.

Immediately upon pressing, the attack would conclude.

Of course, failing to keep up with the dungeon’s expansion rate didn’t mean the attack failed.

The peak-expanded room was designed to shrink back down, and they could press the button then.

The issue was dealing with monsters swarming from regeneration points in all directions until that moment.

Apart from the initially set monsters, regenerating monsters did not give experience, so drawn-out battles were decidedly unfavorable.

Nor did it mean the monsters lacked killing ability; death meant the end. There was no next time.

Entrance.

The 30 seconds before entering was the waiting time. The dungeon’s full view was visible, and they estimated their strategy.

Kang-hoo had finished his considerations when Ban Se-yeong cautiously spoke up.

“Oppa, I’ve seen a point before. If we hold that, even a hundred to one is possible.”

“Should we hold out?”

“Got a better idea?”

“I couldn’t be sure until I saw it with my own eyes. But now, I think it’s possible.”

“What do you mean it’s possible?”

“The gold button, I think I can press it.”

“No way, even with Dong-jae oppa’s maximum acceleration buff, it was like trying to draw blood from a stone.”

“Let’s think simply. You hold the one against a hundred point. I’ll chase the button.”

“Oppa, if it goes wrong, on the way back, it’s a monster hell! It’s different from the previous room!”

“Let’s make a bet. If I chase the gold button and fail to press it, then I’ll give you a Hematite later.”

“…Oh?”

Ban Se-yeong’s ears perked up at the unexpected offer. The temptation of Hematite was that strong.

But no matter how fast Kang-hoo claimed to be, doubting he could chase the rapidly expanding end was reasonable.

The gold button wasn’t just lying in front of them upon entry.

According to the criteria for a small dungeon layout, the altar and button were placed more than 500m away.

And they had to chase an end that moved tens of meters away every second.

They would have to pursue it at an even greater speed, considering the monsters’ interference along the way.

Seeing Ban Se-yeong merely look tempted without saying much, Kang-hoo prodded her.

“Let’s each put a Hematite on the line. Do it, or don’t. How about it? A little fun like this should be part of a dull dungeon attack, right?”

By now, Kang-hoo was enjoying the dungeon.

Only Ban Se-yeong and Jang Si-hwan were taking it seriously and gravely.

A rare smile was on Kang-hoo’s lips.

It seemed there was fun in testing the limits of what his body could challenge, the end of those limits.