Chapter 130 – Oasis  

Within the massive dungeon known as the Desert’s Shadow, there are two sub-dungeons: the Oasis and the Pyramid.  

‘Finally found it!’  

A look of joy flashed across Oh Yoon-sik’s face as he gazed at the Oasis.  

What else could the reason for wandering the desert have been?  

It was to find a sub-dungeon.  

And if it wasn’t the Pyramid but the Oasis, then this was exactly the dungeon they needed in their current situation.  

The interior was cool, making it the perfect place to escape the scorching heat.  

“An Oasis?”  

“Can we finally get out of this damn desert?”  

“Ahh, we’re saved!”  

“I thought I was going to die from the heat—this is such a relief!”  

Just like Yoon-sik, the rest of the party members were overjoyed.  

It was like finding water in a barren desert.  

However, even in this situation, there was one person whose expression remained grim: Min Do-jun.  

‘We shouldn’t enter the Oasis now.’  

The Oasis was best entered at night.  

If they went in under the scorching sun, the monsters’ strength, reflexes, and stamina would double.  

‘Sub-dungeons only give you one chance to enter. It’s better to go in at night if possible.’  

Entering the Oasis during the day was dangerous.  

But who could resist the temptation of escaping the heat now that the opportunity had arrived?  

‘It’s a trap.’  

The dungeon was designed with the knowledge that humans wouldn’t be able to resist its allure.  

“Alright, alright, let’s hurry in before we die from the heat!”  

“Wait a moment, Leader.”  

Yoon-sik turned his head at the voice calling him.  

The magic swordsman hunter was approaching.  

‘Min Do-jun, was it?’  

Yoon-sik remembered his name.  

He had to.  

It wasn’t just because of his connection to the Emperor Guild.  

‘From the beginning until now, it wasn’t a coincidence.’  

At first, he thought it was luck when Do-jun killed the Sand Worm with a single spell, hitting its weak point.  

But the way Do-jun fought afterward was nothing short of astonishing.  

‘Slicing through Sand Worms like tofu with just a few sword strikes…’  

Monsters that would normally take several consecutive spells to defeat were being cut down effortlessly by this magic swordsman.  

‘He’s definitely not ordinary.’  

How could someone at such a low level deal that much damage?  

‘Maybe the magic swordsman class is just broken.’  

The only conclusion he could draw was that the magic swordsman class was far stronger than he’d thought.  

“What is it?”  

“Are you planning to enter the Oasis dungeon?”  

“Yes, why?”  

“You shouldn’t.”  

Yoon-sik frowned at those words.  

‘What nonsense is he spouting?’  

Assuming there must be a reason, he suppressed his irritation and asked,  

“Why not?”  

“During the day, the monsters in the Oasis dungeon become more than twice as strong. If you want to clear it, it’s better to go at night.”  

‘What kind of nonsense is this?’  

Yoon-sik sighed with a look of disbelief.  

“How would you know that?”  

“……”  

“This is your first S-rank dungeon too, isn’t it?”  

“I’ve read the guides.”  

“I’ve studied the guides too. But I’ve never heard anything about the Oasis monsters changing based on day and night.”  

“The guide I read said that entering the Oasis dungeon during the day is practically suicide.”  

“Hahaha!”  

Yoon-sik laughed as if he’d just heard a ridiculous joke.  

“That’s funny. But if it’s that dangerous, why hasn’t it been widely known? There are people who’ve gone in and come back alive, right?”  

“That just shows how tough it is.”  

“I know the Desert’s Shadow is harder than other dungeons. But monsters getting stronger based on day and night? Hmm. That’s hard to believe.”  

“Just take my word for it.”  

Do-jun’s unwavering insistence made Yoon-sik’s eyebrow twitch.  

‘If I say so, just accept it…’  

Naturally, Yoon-sik didn’t believe Do-jun’s words.  

‘I’ve read countless guides, and none of them mentioned this nonsense…’  

As the leader, he had studied every detail of this dungeon, yet Do-jun’s claim wasn’t mentioned anywhere.  

‘Where did he hear this nonsense and come here to waste our time?’  

He acknowledged Do-jun’s strength, but undermining the leader’s authority like this was unacceptable.  

‘At this rate, it’s better to enter the dungeon as soon as possible.’  

The rest of the party seemed to share Yoon-sik’s thoughts, as they grew impatient.  

“Ugh, it’s so hot!”  

“Let’s just hurry in!”  

Not a single party member could resist the temptation of the Oasis now that it was right in front of them.  

“Everyone’s complaining—what should we do?”  

“……”  

“We’re going in, right?”  

Do-jun nodded, as if telling them to do as they pleased.  

‘I tried to help, but…’  

Shaking his head, Do-jun discreetly used an elixir.  

[You have used a Water Resistance Elixir.]  

[Water resistance increased by 50%.]  

[Remaining time: 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds.]  

The reason he chose water resistance instead of fire resistance was simple.  

‘The Oasis dungeon only has water-attribute monsters.’  

Especially when facing the Oasis dungeon’s boss, it was best to increase resistance beforehand.  

‘Ideally, I’d have preferred to enter at night when the boss is weaker…’  

But since they were going in now, he had no choice but to face the strengthened version.  

“Everyone, step into the Oasis! There’s a portal on the ground. And don’t drink the water no matter how thirsty you are! It’s from another dimension, so it’ll give you stomachaches!”  

Following the leader’s instructions, the party members entered without hesitation.  

Do-jun also stepped through the portal.  

[You have entered the sub-dungeon ‘Oasis’.]  

The environment changed the moment they passed through the portal.  

They found themselves in a cave with bluish stone walls.  

Though they had been teleported from water into a cave, no one was surprised.  

They were used to this kind of thing by now.  

“Is everyone here?”  

After checking the headcount, Yoon-sik gave a briefing.  

“As you know, this is a sub-dungeon, so there’s no clear objective. However, we need to find the exit to leave, and staying here too long will make it hard to endure due to the cold. So, we’ll hunt for about two hours and then look for the exit.”  

As the party members nodded, Yoon-sik raised two fingers.  

“From here on, we’ll split into teams. Twenty… no, nineteen people moving together would be too cramped for the dungeon’s narrow space.”  

Since nineteen people couldn’t attack simultaneously anyway, splitting into teams of five was more efficient.  

Even Do-jun didn’t object to that.  

‘The real problem is that we entered during the day.’  

The difficulty had doubled, but the experience gain remained the same.  

They’d realize the difference if they tried hunting at night.  

‘It seems this isn’t widely known yet.’  

Either no one had found the Oasis at night, or those who had were keeping the information to themselves to monopolize the rewards.  

Do-jun leaned toward the latter possibility.  

“Alright, split into your teams and start hunting. After two hours in the dungeon’s time, regroup here! It’s not too late to find the exit then! And be careful not to get lost!”  

The party members scattered like hungry beasts.  

They needed to make up for the experience they couldn’t get from the Sand Worms alone.  

Team D, which included Do-jun, also ran ahead in search of monsters.  

They ran far enough but found nothing, so they slowed to a walk.  

“But why only hunt for two hours? The longer we hunt, the better, right?”  

“Didn’t you hear earlier? It’s because of the cold—it gets hard to endure.”  

“Cold? This feels comfortably cool to me.”  

“Maybe it gets worse later.”  

“Still, it’s better than the desert, hehe.”  

The four members of the team chatted among themselves as they walked.  

No one spoke to Do-jun.  

It wasn’t outright exclusion—they just found it hard to approach him.  

They had all witnessed his ruthless attacks, slicing Sand Worms apart effortlessly.  

‘He’s on a completely different level.’  

They didn’t even know his name or level, but it was clear he was close to S-rank.  

That thought made it difficult to interact with him casually.  

Of course, Do-jun was fine with being left alone—it was less bothersome.  

Sssk— Sssk—  

Just then, a monster blocked their path.  

A Frostclaw Lizard.  

“What’s this? It’s tiny.”  

One of the team members smirked at the lizard, which only reached waist height.  

While larger than an ordinary lizard, it was small compared to the Sand Worms that could swallow people whole.  

“If everyone’s ready, let’s atta—Ghk!”  

In an instant, the lizard’s tongue wrapped around the member’s throat.  

The others froze in shock at the unbelievable speed.  

Only Do-jun remained unfazed, drawing his sword with a cold gaze.  

‘Why would you let your guard down in front of these things?’  

The Frostclaw Lizard’s tongue strike was too fast to dodge with the naked eye.  

And now, with all its stats doubled, dodging was impossible.  

‘If I leave them be, they’ll get shredded by its claws and eaten.’  

Do-jun summoned a blade of wind.  

‘I don’t have the hobby of watching people die.’  

He slashed through the air and lunged forward.  

Swish—  

The blade severed the taut tongue.  

Thud—  

The fallen member coughed violently, tearing the tongue off his neck.  

“Ugh… I almost died…”  

As he lifted his head, he suddenly raised his arms to shield his face.  

Splat! Splat! Splat!  

Blood and flesh sprayed everywhere.  

The lizard was being shredded into pieces as if fed into a grinder.  

[EXP +64,800] (Contribution: 100%)  

Do-jun frowned as he quickly finished off the lizard.  

‘I have to slash over ten times just for 60,000 EXP?’  

The inefficient hunting speed annoyed him, but there was nothing he could do.  

‘I can’t enter the boss room alone, so I’ll have to play along.’  

He shook off the monster’s fluids and suppressed his irritation.  

“Th-thank you for saving me.”  

The rescued member bowed in gratitude, but Do-jun only gave him a cold look.  

“Never let your guard down against Frostclaw Lizards. Especially now that their stats are doubled during the day.”  

“Ah…”  

The team members recalled the conversation Do-jun had with the leader before entering the Oasis.  

“So it’s really true? They get stronger during the day?”  

“You’ll feel it when you fight them. They’re much tougher than they should be.”  

Despite Do-jun’s words, the team still looked skeptical.  

Sssk—  

Another lizard appeared, and Do-jun stepped back, yielding the fight.  

“See for yourselves.”  

Eager to earn EXP, the team members raised their weapons.  

“On three, we attack.”  

“One, two…”  

“Haaah!”  

“Die, you salamander bastard!”  

The four charged in high spirits.  

They worried the lizard might die too quickly, robbing them of EXP, but their concern was unnecessary.  

The lizard was far tougher and more resilient than they expected.  

Thud! Thud!  

Slash! Slash!  

The team, composed of warriors and assassins, unleashed all their skills, tearing into the lizard’s hide—but it was still standing.  

Ssshk—  

“Ghk!”  

One member’s leg was caught by the tongue, sending him crashing down.  

Clang!  

“Kuh!”  

Another barely blocked the lizard’s claws with his weapon.  

Though struggling, Do-jun didn’t intervene.  

Even if they were having a hard time, four A-rank hunters wouldn’t lose.  

“Hah… haah…”  

Sure enough, the lizard soon fell, leaving behind EXP. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured.  

As the exhausted team members slumped to the ground, Do-jun asked,  

“How was it? Tough, right?”  

“Yeah…”  

They all nodded in silent agreement.  

After experiencing it firsthand, they realized these lizards were several times harder to kill than Sand Worms—without offering more EXP.  

Do-jun was right—they were definitely stronger.  

‘And he was killing these things alone?’  

‘And shredding them to pieces in seconds…?’  

The overwhelming difference in strength sent shivers down their spines.  

“Do you understand how dangerous this place is now?”  

“Yes… You were right.”  

“In that case, do you mind if I take the lead?”  

The team members nodded without hesitation.  

Having someone as strong as Do-jun at the front was a relief.  

Of course, Do-jun was grateful too.  

‘Good. Now I can take them into the boss room.’  

Since he couldn’t enter alone, he needed them to come along.  

The boss would be his prey, anyway.