Chapter 19 Academy Underground Dungeon (4)
[You won the duel! Thanks to your significant contribution during the duel, your victory is recognized. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of the opponent’s runes. Please choose the rune to duplicate.]
[1. Underwater Breathing 2. Strengthen 3. Spear (Not selectable)]
I succeeded in hunting the Lizardmen, and the effect of the [Rune Hunter] was activated once again.
Although the Lizardman that followed didn’t manage to land a single hit, I had quite a share in the four Lizardmen I had hunted before. Thanks to that, I was acknowledged for my high contribution in the duel.
The Lizardman had a total of three runes, which was quite a lot for a C-grade monster.
[Spear] was already in my possession, so it was not selectable and excluded from the options.
I pondered between [Underwater Breathing] and [Strengthen].
‘Hmm...’
Both are decent rare runes.
However, I slightly valued [Underwater Breathing] more for a simple reason. The [Strengthen] rune might sound like it holds tremendous power, but in reality, it is just a useful rare rune that assists with physical strength. It does not grant any over-the-top, comic-like abilities such as splitting the ground with a single punch.
Especially considering that [Strengthen] is named after the ‘strength of monsters,’ many monsters possessed this rune.
‘I don’t really need to choose it right now.’
On the other hand, [Underwater Breathing] offered a completely new ability that allowed one to breathe freely underwater. This could be helpful in tackling dungeons like rivers or seas, and who knows what abilities I might gain from hunting other monsters in the future.
It was similar to when I chose [Lizard’s Scales] after defeating the Sizzling Salamander. I chose [Underwater Breathing] for the potential it held.
[You have chosen Underwater Breathing. As it is a level 6 rare rune, its level will decrease to 3 upon registration.]
[You have gained a new rune.]
[You gain 3 points of water resistance as the rune’s attribute.]
[A new resistance has been activated.]
<Rune Information>
◎Name: Underwater Breathing
◎Grade: Rare
◎Level: 3
◎Engraved Location: Nose
◎Special Effects: –
: Enables breathing underwater like any other creature.
: Water Resistance +3
◎Derived Skill: –
–
◎Detailed Information: Affinity and resistance to water are enhanced.
I read the consecutive information windows that appeared before me slowly. It contained the expected contents, and there was an unexpected gain in the form of ‘Water Resistance.’
This was quite a pleasant bonus. Since I couldn’t predict when and where resistance might come in handy, there was no harm in having it. Water resistance was quite valuable, as increasing this stat would grant resistance to water-based magic as well.
It was similar for both [Poison] and [Underwater Breathing]. It felt great to obtain elemental resistances quickly through luck.
It was certain that defeating the Lizardmen in the hunt was quite rewarding.
However, it didn’t end there.Ñøv€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
[You won the duel! Thanks to your significant contribution during the duel, your victory is recognized. With the mysterious power of the Rune Hunter, you can duplicate one of the opponent’s runes. Since your opponent has only one rune, you will duplicate that rune.]
[You have gained a new rune.]
[You gain 1 point of Strength as the rune’s attribute.]
“Uh...?”
The [Rune Hunter] effect, which had already appeared once, showed up again.
...What’s going on?
I had been satisfied with gaining a useful rare rune like [Underwater Breathing], but suddenly, I gained another rune?
As I stared blankly at the information window, I soon realized.
‘They are different individuals!’
“Kang Juyeon?”
Suddenly, when I looked at Kang Juyeon, she nodded quietly.
“We’ll split the loot after finishing the exploration.”
It was true that there was a big difference between having dungeon experience and not. While I, a dungeon newbie, was simply happy about acquiring runes, these experienced girls had already collected all nine Lizardman magic stones.
That was why they were chosen as experienced Holders.
I brushed off my dirty hands a few times and collected the equipment.
“Let’s go right away!”
“Already? Don’t you need more rest?”
“Nah, I’m all energized now.”
My voice was full of life.
With the acquisition of [Underwater Breathing] and [Strength], the fatigue that weighed heavily on my shoulders disappeared in an instant.
I felt like I could keep dueling for as long as I wanted.
***
ippotranslations
***
We continued to conquer the dungeon with great enthusiasm. The pattern was almost the same as the first duel. When I confronted multiple Lizardmen, Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun would unleash their prepared magic and ranged attacks.
The duel formula that led to victory repeated itself until all the Lizardmen at the beginning of the dungeon were cleared. While Kang Juyeon and Moon Ga-eun handled the decisive blows and finishes, I also didn’t show any lack of growth dueling at the front.
[Your throwing skills with the dagger become smoother and more flexible.]
[The level of your rune has increased.]
[You gain 1 point of Speed as the rune’s attribute.]
[The subtlety in your swordplay that parries multiple weapons becomes even deeper.]
[The level of your rune has increased.]
[You gain 1 point of Speed as the rune’s attribute.]
They say the biggest moment of growth for a Holder is during a real duel. While training helps in gaining abilities and leveling up runes, the growth from directly hunting monsters is much more significant. This dungeon, where I frequently used [Dagger] and [Water Sword Technique], allowed their levels to increase easily through hunting monsters.
Various growth factors contributed to steadily increasing my attributes, and both Strength and Speed had surpassed 25.
“Haap...!!”
I dodged the Lizardman’s trident and immediately thrust my dagger into the neck of the Lizardman next to it. It was challenging to face three Lizardmen at first, but now I could handle five of them together without being overwhelmed.
Shiiiiing- Bang!!
In an instant, Moon Ga-eun’s arrow flew and pierced the remaining Lizardman, finishing the nearly completed battle.
“Is it over?”
After collecting all the Lizardmen’s magic stones, Moon Ga-eun examined her surroundings. Then, like before, she placed her hand on the ground and focused her mind. It was her detection using [Dolphin’s Sonar] to sense nearby monsters and magic.
“None left?”
“Yeah, it seems we got them all.”
Moon Ga-eun slowly opened her eyes. When she declared there were none, there were genuinely none. It would be strange to doubt her detection abilities, especially since she was an upper class archer in the first year.
We had completely cleared all the Lizardmen at the entrance of the dungeon.
“Now then...”
Everyone’s gaze naturally turned to the front.
The Academy Underground Dungeon.
At the end of the entrance, there was a critical point.
There was a nuisance that hindered the progress of the original Park Jin-woo and Kang Juyeon. The reason their dungeon conquest was limited to the entrance. It was the path that led to the next level of the dungeon, blocked by a massive rock.
Prev I TOC I Next
Please rate this series here.
[script] window._stq = window._stq || []; window._stq.push( [ 'extra', { x_wordads_outbrain: 'widget_render_ar_1', }, ] ); [/script]
