CH.68 The Forest Covered by Snake (2)
“Keep pushing forward! We have to hunt to the end!”
The voice of Kwon Oh-jun echoed through the mountains.
2:00 PM.
Our party, gathered at the entrance of Inwangsan Field, had all completed their preparations and entered the field without delay.
Inwangsan Field was a higher-level field than Bukhansan Field, where I had previously gone for a C-grade promotion.
The grades of the monsters appearing from the beginning to the middle were mostly C-grade or higher, and B-grade monsters appeared frequently in the middle.
Our party’s dungeon assignment this time wasn’t difficult for no reason.
Roar-!!
Growl-
The expression ‘main residence of tigers’ was spot on.
Most of the monsters appearing from the beginning to the middle were tiger-type monsters.
Not only Shovel Tigers and Black Tigers, but also B-grade monsters of the Sabretooth Tiger lineage like ‘Smilodon’ often appeared.
These creatures were monsters that didn’t unleash any special magical attacks, but due to their highly developed physical abilities such as strength and speed, they weren’t easy opponents.
“We’ll finish this battle without rear support. Do Jae-hyun, utilize magical attacks, and Shin Yuna, focus on striking! Jae-hyun, don’t forget to use your shield for tanking!”
“Understood…!!”
“Move when it’s time to answer!”
Since entering the battle.
The atmosphere of Kwon Oh-jun, the party leader, had changed drastically.
He, who was usually playful, was a completely different person in battle.
He seriously formed combat strategies, assigned necessary personnel in appropriate positions.
In situations that required concentration, he guided his team members decisively.
Especially in this assignment, Do Jae-hyun and Shin Yuna, who was a C-grade Holders assigned for growth purposes, were pushed harder.
Thanks to that, sparks flew relentlessly from my shield and sword, as well as from Shin Yuna’s knuckles.
[Go deeper, go faster! The concentration of the fiery flame within you burning fiercely increases. Your proficiency in handling fire increases significantly.]
[The level of the ‘Fiery Flames’ rune has increased.]
[You gain 1 magic power and 1 fire resistance through the rune’s nature.]
[The depth of handling magic power shines brighter in urgent situations. Your magic control is already at an advanced level.]
[The level of the ‘Magic Control’ rune has increased.]
[You gain 1 magic power through the rune’s attributes.]
Real combat is the best training.
This saying, which has been used to the point of exhaustion throughout history.
It was no different in the Holder world.
The best comrades, the best party members.
And the best combat instructor who had accumulated years of hunting experience.
Continuing the battle with them, the growth speed of the runes was explosive.
The rune levels of my [Fiery Flame] and [Magic Control] had each risen by 2 levels, becoming level 7 and level 6, respectively, by the time we reached the outskirts of the middle part of Inwangsan Field.
While I mainly used a one-handed sword and a shield for tanking, and frequently utilized the offensive aspects of the two runes, my growth was evident.
‘The rise in magic power is somewhat elastic.’
If there’s one focus of my training now.
It would probably be the growth of the ‘Magic Power’ stat and the rune levels of [Wave Sword Technique] and [Water Sword Technique].
The ultimate skills of these two runes, [Sky-Shattering Heavenly Sword] and [Water Sword Dance].
To utilize them, the prerequisite conditions must be satisfied.
While the rune levels of sword techniques will naturally rise with consistent training, the growth of the magic power stat can’t be achieved through training alone, so the growth through runes was welcome.
My magic power had already reached 22.
Considering that I was hovering around 10 not too long ago…
The growth was remarkably rapid.
‘The new runes… While they might not provide significant advantages, they’re quite substantial.’
Tiger-type monsters.
Because I had acquired so many runes from animal-type monsters, most of the runes I possessed were already familiar, to say the least.
But there were still some runes that I didn’t have.
[You’ve won in a duel! Your high contribution in the duel has been recognized. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can replicate one of the opponent’s runes. Please choose the rune to replicate.]
[You have selected Sharp Claws. Since it’s an 11th-level rare rune, its level will decrease and be registered as level 6.]
[You have acquired a new rune.]
[You gain 2 agility through the rune’s attributes.]
[Sharp Claws].
A rune obtained by hunting the B-grade monster ‘Smilodon’ in the middle part of the field.
The runes it possessed were mostly things like [Agile Agility], [Sturdy Fangs], [Quadruped Combat].
In short, runes I had already acquired.
I had hoped that there might be a rune like the tiger’s hide among them, but it seemed not all animal-type monsters had defense-type runes.
‘…I wonder if there’s a use for this.’
[Sharp Claws] was a rare rune in the physical enhancement category based on agility.
Its special effect was that when attacking an opponent using the claws, their toughness would be reduced by half.
A familiar effect, much like [Sturdy Fangs].
‘They sure have a lot of beast-type runes.’
Scales, fangs, claws, quadruped combat…
At this rate, I might become the true king of beasts or something.
“Okay. You both did well.”
“Huff… Huff… Thank you.”
“Great job.”
While lost in thought for a moment.
Kwon Oh-jun signaled the end of the battle.
Looking around, we had hunted down all the monsters nearby.
Mostly C-grade monsters, with about two B-grade monsters like Smilodon…
With the addition of Shin Yuna’s strikes and my magical attacks, we managed to hunt them down somehow.
With proper combination, a C-grade Holder’s damage output could be effective even against B-grade monsters.
“Wow, you’re amazing. Our intern here is practically on par with a B-grade Holder, right?”
A slightly teasing voice flowed from somewhere.
A blond woman in a white nun’s outfit stood out.
She was Lee Soo-mi, the party’s only recovery-type Holder.
She came up to me and unexpectedly touched my chest.
Crazy.
Is this harassment?
However, her hand was glowing with a green light.
…It was Lee Soo-Mi’s [Healing] method.
“Hey, intern. So you use both a sword and a shield, and fire-type runes too?”
“Yes, as you can see, I’m a Multi-Holder.”
“Hehe, using a sword and fire together. Multi-Holders are cool, huh?”
Lee Soo-mi’s attire was striking, fitting the atmosphere of the rural setting. Her outfit was unconventional, with a slit on the side of her thigh in a nun’s outfit-style dress that subtly revealed her collarbone. Her hair was blonde, and she appeared to be in her late twenties. She exuded an air of authority that anyone could see.
It’s unbelievable that someone with such a sensual presence is associated with the recovery order. This is not the saintly person I knew…
“Holder Lee Soo-mi. It seems like everything has been treated, so you can stop now.”
When things get tough, it’s only friends you can rely on. Kang Juyeon stepped forward and restrained Lee Soo-mi.
However, for some reason, her voice was noticeably colder than yesterday. Lee Soo-mi smiled and withdrew her hand from me.
“Well… I still feel like it’s not completely healed, but if Ms. Juyeon says so, I’ll stop.”
“…Holder Shin Yuna is also quite injured.”
“Hey, Shiny, you can heal yourself.”
Shin Yuna, with the excuse of having the [Combat Healing] rune, came to me exclusively for treatment.
 Kwon Oh-jun was a warrior, but the team leader was an A-grade Holder with exceptional abilities, so he rarely got injured.
“Enough with the chit chat. Now we need to enter the dispatched dungeon in earnest. Everyone, brace yourselves a bit. Once we enter the dungeon, it’s all-out combat mode.”
Kwon Oh-jun organized the tense atmosphere of the party. We pushed through the entrance and middle of Inwangsan Field and arrived at a place with a large rock formation.
Two smaller rocks were stacked beside a larger rock. Kwon Oh-jun approached the rocks and pointed to the gap where the two rocks overlapped.
“The entrance to the dungeon is at the end of this gap between the rocks. I’ll go in first, so follow right after me.”
With that, starting with Kwon Oh-jun, the party members entered the dungeon one by one.
The provisional name was the Forest Covered by Snakes. It was our destination for this dispatch.
***
ippotranslations
***
[You have entered the dungeon.]
[The unpleasant aura of the dungeon slightly impairs the Holder’s speed and mental clarity.]
The ‘Forest Covered by Snakes’ was indeed a forest. I had seen the ‘Goblin Lair’ before, but most dungeons weren’t always in cave-like forms.
Some dungeons took the form of plains and villages, like the ‘Goblin Lair’ while others, like this one, were forests nestled somewhere in the mountains.
I heard there are even dungeons that are complete villages…
I’ve never seen one, so I’m curious. There’s probably something to see in a Holder’s life.
“I don’t see any abnormal monster movements yet.”
The party’s only archer, Min Chae-hwan, finished scouting.
Kwon Oh-jun nodded in agreement.
 “There probably won’t be any monsters for about 10 minutes. We received reports of this even when the scouting vanguard came ahead.”
With that, our party slowly walked through the forest.
The densely spread forest seemed endless. It was actually quite wide on either side, making it easy to lose one’s sense of direction, but Kwon Oh-jun confidently walked in a single direction without getting confused, as if he had received the route in advance.
As I walked, I looked around. The chirping of birds, the green grass, and the tall trees gathered together. Even bugs had found their place nearby. It was the beauty of lush bushes on a sunny day.
“There’s a river.”
Clean water flowed on one side of the forest. A fairly large river. I couldn’t help but admire the scene. A beautiful river shimmering through the lush forest. If only it weren’t a dungeon…
It was a natural landscape perfect for leisure and sightseeing.
“Team leader, wait a moment…!!”
But then, at that moment, Min Chae-hwan’s urgent shout halted the party. He was kneeling on the ground, touching it with one knee.
Although we had all agreed that there would be no monsters for about 10 minutes…
It seemed like something had caught his attention during the scouting.
His slightly frowned expression quickly twisted.
“The monsters were hiding their presence! They possess runes that evade detection.”
“What? We didn’t receive such a report… Where did this come from? No, when are we going to encounter them?”
Kwon Oh-jun asked in confusion, and Min Chae-hwan focused his attention.
After tapping the ground with his fingers, he looked up and said, “One minute… no, 30 seconds! They’re coming from the river!”
At his words, I quickly gripped my sword and shield and stared at the river. Shin Yuna also clenched her knuckles, Kwon Oh-jun held his spear lightly.
Thump-thump-thump…
At first, the vibrations were barely noticeable, but they began to intensify rapidly.
It was indeed a mere 30 seconds, just as Min Chae-hwan had said.
Shooo ah-
Wooooong-!!
And the outline of the monsters appeared. Smooth skin covered in bluish scales. And a massive body that boasted incredible length. Close to 2 meters… No, almost 3 meters?
There were six of these monstrous creatures.
As soon as the monsters appeared, this time it was the assassin-type, Choi Dong-wook, who spoke up. Among the clan members, he was the most knowledgeable about monster information.
“B-grade monster, Electrophorus!”
Electrophorus. The name probably holds many meanings…
In the Holder world, it refers to monsters resembling electric eels. They possess immense bioelectricity and execute challenging lightning-based magical attacks. This B-grade monster was completely new, never reported in any previous logs.
A variable had emerged from the very beginning of our dungeon conquest.
All the party members quickly assumed combat stances.
I also gripped my sword and shield…
With an unjust gaze, I looked at the monsters.
‘Didn’t they say only snake-type monsters would appear?’
Damn…
Are they considering electric eels to be snakes too?
tl/n: Shiny is most like the nickname for Shin Yuna
Well, he wanted lightning magic, here it is
I was about to comment the same thing 😂