Chapter 19 – Mantis Dungeon
by Heavenly Cat[White Horse Island Mantis Dungeon]
– Difficulty: D
– Personnel limit: 3 people
– Entry restriction: Level 150 or higher
– Conquest goal: Exterminate 120 mantises
– Failure penalty: Random destruction of 1 item
– Time limit: 6 hours
– Time remaining until dungeon break: 48 hours 18 minutes 2 seconds
“Hunter, I’m worried, but are you really okay with this?”
Park Dong-yun asked with sincere concern.
“You may know, but this is the highest difficulty dungeon among D-rank. Unlike the entry level, you need to be over level 250 to barely conquer it. And that’s with a party.”
“I know.”
Min Do-jun is not someone with clouded judgment to rush in without knowing this.
However, Park Dong-yun, who was watching, couldn’t easily shake off his worry.
“I’m saying this because I think it will be really dangerous. Are you confident?”
“Of course.”
“Alright…”
Although he was still worried, he couldn’t dissuade him due to the confidence in his voice.
“Then please equip your gear and prepare to enter.”
As if waiting for those words, Min Do-jun put on his equipment.
“Huh?”
Park Dong-yun made a surprised expression at the sight.
“Hunter, your equipment…?”
Unlike before when he wore a staff and robe, he was now wearing armor and holding a weapon.
A clearly different appearance from before.
Among them, the most noticeable was the one-handed sword with a green jewel embedded.
“Luminous Longsword? This is a weapon that increases magic power, right?”
It was a weapon Min Do-jun bought for 20 million won.
Nevertheless, Park Dong-yun wondered why he bought it rather than thinking it was an expensive weapon.
“Did you switch to warrior by any chance?”
His question was natural.
When he saw him in the Werewolf Dungeon, he was dressed like a typical mage.
“No.”
“Then why the sword…”
“Because I’m a magic swordsman.”
“…”
Park Dong-yun was so surprised that he couldn’t continue speaking for a while.
“Magic swordsman… you say?”
He asked again, hoping he had misheard, doubting his own ears.
However, the answer that came back shattered his expectations.
“Yes.”
“Are you really a magic swordsman?”
“That’s right, but?”
“…”
The question ‘Why?’ circled in his mind.
Magic swordsman was such a fringe occupation in the hunter industry that it wasn’t even considered.
“Uh, Hunter. Of all the many professions, why choose magic swordsman…”
“Don’t worry. It’s not as bad as you think.”
“But still…”
Min Do-jun walked towards the dungeon entrance as if he didn’t want to hear anymore.
He knew there was no answer other than showing it.
“I’ll be out within 3 hours.”
Min Do-jun disappeared inside after saying that.
There wasn’t even time to stop him.
“…”
It was impossible to bring him back now that he had already entered.
“I hope you return alive…”
Park Dong-yun said as he turned around.
All he could do was wait in the car and hope for a safe return.
However, he didn’t know.
How much stronger Min Do-jun had become after switching to magic swordsman.
* * *
Min Do-jun walked along the forest path overgrown with vegetation.
However, his cautious demeanor as he walked, scanning his surroundings, was different from usual.
‘You never know when or where they’ll pop out.’
The Mantis Dungeon was a place that made even Min Do-jun tense.
After all, the mantises appeared hidden somewhere like assassins.
‘But that doesn’t mean I’m not confident.’
He was tense given the opponent, but not afraid.
Mantises were monsters he had hunted to the point of boredom even before his regression.
Kiiit!
At that moment, a man-sized praying mantis suddenly appeared from the side.
With the spikes on its forelegs at the forefront.
But for Min Do-jun, who had been waiting for it to appear, it was hardly a surprise attack.
Crackle!
Woong!
As soon as the Lightning Spear appeared, the blade of the sword turned bluish.
It was the effect of Mana Sword and Enchant Sword.
Whoosh!
Min Do-jun easily dodged the foreleg swung by the mantis and aimed his sword at its head.
Then the waiting Lightning Spear shot out like a bullet.
Crackle!
Kiiiik!
Min Do-jun rushed towards the mantis writhing in pain after taking a direct hit to the head.
With his sword imbued with Mana Sword and Enchant Sword.
Slash!
The mantis’s neck was half-severed.
Without hesitation, he swung once more.
Slash!
Thud-
The head fell off.
[Experience +525]
He defeated the mantis, said to be difficult, with one spell and two sword strikes.
While high stats and skills contributed to this easy victory, the attribute also played a big role.
‘Electric magic is perfect for these water-attribute creatures.’
While one might assume it’s earth-attribute thinking of ordinary praying mantises, contrary to appearances, its attribute is water.
Therefore, it was difficult to determine a monster’s attribute simply by its external appearance.
‘This is why they haven’t even figured out elemental affinities, let alone monster attributes yet.’
Min Do-jun continued to advance, leading with his sword.
Kiik!
Two mantises appeared simultaneously from both sides.
Whoosh-
He dodged.
Slash-
He swung his sword, cutting off the mantis’s legs.
Kiii!
A mantis swung its spiked foreleg from behind, but.
Whoosh-
Min Do-jun, who had anticipated the attack pattern, wouldn’t let it hit him.
Especially not now with over 160 agility.
Slash!
Thud!
One’s head fell off.
Then.
Whoosh-
After dodging another one’s attack, Min Do-jun fired a Lightning Spear.
Crackle!
Kiee!
And he cleanly decapitated the creature writhing in pain.
[Experience +525]
[Experience +525]
Thanks to the Solo Conqueror’s Necklace, he gained a nice amount of experience.
‘It’s easier than I thought.’
At this rate, conquering the dungeon was just a matter of time.
Min Do-jun continued to move forward.
* * *
‘I wonder when he’ll come out this time…’
Park Dong-yun, who was waiting boredly in the car, suddenly checked the time.
‘Two and a half hours have passed…’
The time limit for the Mantis Dungeon was 6 hours.
It wasn’t time for him to come out yet.
‘He might not come out even after the full 6 hours…’
Just as he had an ominous feeling.
Park Dong-yun hurriedly got out of the car.
Because Min Do-jun was coming out of the dungeon.
“Hunter! Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
Contrary to his worry, Min Do-jun’s condition was perfectly fine.
Not even a scratch.
He just had some transparent liquid splattered here and there on his body.
“That liquid…”
“It’s mantis blood. Unlike usual, I fought up close, so I got a bit dirty.”
“Any injuries?”
“None.”
“That’s a relief then.”
While Park Dong-yun was relieved, he was also surprised.
Simply because he had returned alive like this.
“Wasn’t it difficult?”
“Well, not really.”
“Haha…”
To say it wasn’t difficult after entering the Mantis Dungeon alone.
Min Do-jun must be the only person who could say this.
‘Not only did he clear it alone, but he came out in less than 3 hours…’
Park Dong-yun was genuinely amazed.
“I really can’t gauge how strong you are.”
His true feelings came out of his mouth without realizing it.
It was an honest sentiment.
He couldn’t fathom how strong the hunter before him was.
Regardless, Min Do-jun just wanted to run more dungeons quickly.
“Find me one with the same conditions.”
“Oh, shouldn’t you wash up first?”
At those words, Min Do-jun removed his equipment.
Then he returned to a somewhat clean appearance.
“It didn’t get on my body, so it’s fine.”
“Alright. Let’s go right away!”
* * *
Kiit!
Three mantises appeared from all directions.
It was the habit of mantises to hide in the vegetation like assassins and launch surprise attacks.
Therefore, even a moment’s carelessness could cost one’s life.
The mantis’s spikes were that sharp.
Whoosh-
But Min Do-jun wasn’t one to take hits quietly.
After dodging their attacks with his high agility, he swung his sword.
A sword with damage boosted by all sorts of buffs including skills, characteristics, attributes, and the 5% damage from the Ruby Ring.
Slash-!
The foreleg was cut off.
Slash-!
The head fell off.
Slash-!
The belly was ripped open.
Crackle-!
An electric spear entered through the torn area.
Kiiik!
Two of them fell instantly.
Kiit!
The remaining one rushed in as if to take revenge.
It swung its foreleg with a sharp momentum, but the opponent was Min Do-jun.
Clang-
He blocked it with an Energy Shield while simultaneously splitting its head vertically.
[Experience +525]
[Experience +525]
[Experience +525]
[You have acquired a D-grade Magic Stone.]
[You have achieved an achievement!]
A 15 million won magic stone dropped.
At the same time, he achieved an achievement.
[Achievement – D-rank Monster Thresher!]
– Condition: Hunt 3,000 D-rank monsters
– Reward: Experience +14,000
‘I’ve already hunted 3,000?’
Including werewolves, he didn’t know he had hunted this many.
‘Have I hunted close to 1,800 mantises alone?’
Min Do-jun had been running only Mantis Dungeons for a week.
He had conquered fourteen dungeons like this.
Including this one, it was fifteen.
‘And yet it still hasn’t appeared…’
The reason he was so passionate about the Mantis Dungeon was none other than this.
It was to meet the boss, the Armored Mantis.
‘I need the ring it gives.’
To receive the set effect of the Sealed Ruby Ring, he needed the ring given by the Armored Mantis.
‘With just that, I can become stronger.’
Like the Ruby Ring, it was a bound item, so it couldn’t be obtained on the market.
‘I have no choice but to defeat the boss myself.’
Min Do-jun quickly conquered the dungeon.
He intended to run only Mantis Dungeons until he met the boss.
Park Dong-yun approached Min Do-jun as he came out after clearing the dungeon.
“Good work!”
Park Dong-yun wasn’t surprised to see Min Do-jun coming out after clearing the Mantis Dungeon alone.
He had gotten used to seeing him solo for a week.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“I’m fine.”
“If it’s not rude to ask, your level…”
“193.”
“…”
Just a week ago it was 150, but he had already raised it this much.
It would have taken other hunters two months.
Park Dong-yun swallowed hard.
‘I thought he’d rise to C-rank hunter, but no. At this rate, he might rise to B-rank or even higher in a short time!’
Park Dong-yun thought.
The hunter before him might be far more amazing than he imagined.
“You’ll go to the Mantis Dungeon for the next one too, right?”
“Yes.”
Park Dong-yun, who was operating a tablet to find a dungeon, made a slightly troubled expression.
“What should we do? All the spots are full, there’s no empty place…”
It was a difficult situation for Min Do-jun, who runs dungeons alone.
“How long do we have to wait for a spot to open?”
“Let’s see… even for the dungeon that ends the soonest, you’ll have to wait at least an hour.”
“Can’t be helped. Let’s go there.”
“Okay.”
The two people who traveled by car were able to arrive in front of a dungeon in Gimpo City after 20 minutes.
“What brings you here?”
When the soldier guarding the entrance asked, Park Dong-yun stepped forward.
“I’m Park Dong-yun from the Ilsan Hunter Management Center. We came to enter in the next turn, but I guess they haven’t come out yet?”
“Ah, about that…”
“You came from the Ilsan branch?”
At that moment, a man who seemed to be in charge interrupted with an urgent expression.
“Please help us!”
“Huh? What do you mean…”
The person in charge soon looked at Min Do-jun.
“You’re a hunter, right?”
“Yes, but…”
“Please save our hunters inside! I beg you!”
At that earnest request, Min Do-jun sensed it.
The boss he had been longing for had appeared.
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