Chapter 7: First Level (2)

[Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: Mr. Taesan, how do you plan to fight the Big Rat?] [Kang Taesan[Solo]: Observe its muscle movements and anticipate where to strike.] [Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: Isn't that telling me to respond to its movements?] [Kang Taesan[Solo]: No. I said anticipate, right?] [Lee Taeyeon[Solo]: ...... How am I supposed to observe the muscles of a rat?]

“Squeak!”

The Big Rat squealed threateningly. Taesan quietly observed the Big Rat.

Responding to its movements was impossible.

But the Big Rat was a creature that breathed and used its muscles to move. Anyone would be able to confirm the body’s movements when it was about to do something.

Suddenly, the Big Rat’s legs contracted. Its vibrating chest puffed out.

This was the moment.

Taesan struck with his sword.

Clang!

“Squeak!”

The Big Rat, which was about to rush in, reflexively retreated.

This was the concept of anticipation.

Every creature had some sort of prelude when they were about to attack. If one paid close attention, blocking in advance wasn’t difficult.

It was the same as professional boxers who did not dodge punches by watching the fist but by observing the movements of the shoulder and moving in advance.

The opponent wasn’t human, but a rodent, yet the theory was the same.

Now, the real game began from here.

Taesan extended his arm that wasn’t holding the sword.

The Big Rat hesitated, then attempted to charge once more.

However, it was again thwarted by Taesan’s attack.

“Sque-squeak.”

[The Big Rat is intimidated by you.] [Its decision-making process is slowed.]

Uncertainty clouded the rat’s tiny red eyes, something that was visible even to Taesan. In the rat’s mind, the ankle had become a place it could no longer attack.



Then, it would aim for the next easiest place to attack.

His arm was extended quite invitingly.

Its decision was swift.

The Big Rat charged and threw itself to bite his arm.

“Squeak?”

Surprise flashed in the Big Rat’s eyes. The sensation of its bite was strange. It felt like it was biting something hard instead of flesh.

It attempted to flee belatedly, but the Big Rat’s body was suspended in mid-air. Its nimble movements were sealed.

“You’ve lost.”

Taesan smashed the arm that the Big Rat had bitten into the ground.

Thud!

“Squeeeeeak!”

Pinned by the arm, the Big Rat screamed. It squirmed as it tried to escape, but the basic difference in strength was significant.

Taesan did not miss the opportunity and stabbed his sword into its chest. An unpleasant sensation ran up his arm.

[You have attacked.] [The Big Rat is incapacitated. It takes more damage.] [The Big Rat takes 4 damage.] [The Big Rat takes 5 damage.]

“Squea...k...”

The vitality faded from those red eyes.

“Hoo!”

As the Big Rat’s movement ceased, Taesan finally relaxed his strength.

“That was rather tough.”The roots of this story extend from novell bìn origin.

The rat, whose movements were too quick for human reflexes to counter, was merely the first monster.

But Taesan calmly summarized the situation.

He had won.



It was now time to receive the rewards.

[You have defeated the Big Rat.] [You have received a large amount of experience points.] [Your Health has been restored by 5.] [You have obtained 43 gold.] [You have obtained the Big Rat's hide.] [You have obtained the Big Rat's meat.]

Taesan brushed over these messages nonchalantly. He had no intention of fussing over those basic rewards.

[You have attacked.] [You have single-handedly defeated a challenging enemy.] [Your Agility has permanently increased by 1.]

“Ho.”

Taesan smiled in satisfaction. In the labyrinth, stats held an unchanging value. An increase was always a good thing.

But the system messages did not stop there.

[Your Heroic Blow has been activated. Your Agility permanently increases by 1.] [You have obtained the basic skill: Swordsmanship.] [You have seized victory in battle by utilizing a wide field of vision. You have obtained the special constant activation skill: Vision Enhancement.] [You have seized victory in battle by identifying the enemy's weakness. You have obtained the special constant activation skill: Insight.] [You faced your opponent without faltering in your first battle. You have obtained the special constant activation skill: Composure.]

“Huh?”

Taesan was taken aback. This was beyond his expectation.

But the system messages kept coming.

[You have won against a monster for the first time.] [You have obtained 100 gold.] [You have obtained the title: The Brave One.]

“They’re giving me so much just for defeating one small monster?”

They wouldn’t even give half this many rewards for defeating a boss monster in Easy Mode.

Taesan made a sarcastic thought, but considering the characteristics of the labyrinth, it was a perfectly reasonable occurrence.

The labyrinth didn’t just consider the result of victory.

“...You caught it?”

Taesan pulled out the Big Rat’s skin and meat from his inventory.

“You buy things in your shop, right? How much can you give me for these?”

“Mister?”

The dwarf, stunned, opened his mouth.

“You really caught it?”

“Would it be fake?”

“...How?”

The dwarf was noticeably flustered. Taesan looked at him with a face that said the dwarf was surprised over nothing.

“If you catch it, you catch it. What’s there to be so surprised about?”

“You...”

The dwarf lost his words. He barely managed to regain his composure and hesitantly reached out his hand.

“Le-let me see.”

Taesan calmly handed over the skin and meat.

[Big Rat's Meat] [Quality: 96%] [It's the meat of a Big Rat. You can eat it if you want.] [Big Rat's Skin] [Quality: 95%] [It's the skin of a Big Rat. It seems reasonably warm.]

The dwarf’s pupils dilated.

It was real. And of the highest quality. It meant it had been perfectly caught without causing any mess.

“How...”

The Big Rat was strong. Even his proud soldiers couldn’t catch it easily due to its fast speed. It was not a monster that a newcomer to the labyrinth would be able to catch.

However, the item did not lie. The dwarf looked at Taesan with disbelieving eyes and then belatedly regained his composure.

“...Alright. Since you have met my condition, I’ll open the shop.”

His role was to be a shop owner. If the other party had passed his condition, it was time to perform his role.

“What do you need?”

“What do you sell?”

“I sell everything. Just tell me.”

In that case, what Taesan needed to buy was decided.

“Do you have a Tower Shield?”

“A Tower Shield? The big one?”

“Yes. Something of a size that you would have to hold with both hands.”

“Why do you want to buy it?”

“I’m planning to smack it down. Completely.”

“... That’s the correct answer.”

The dwarf let out a sigh of admiration. After looking at Taesan with a look of wonder for a moment, he reached into thin air.

“Golden Gate.”

Rustle.

The dwarf, rummaging through the split space, pulled out a Tower Shield. It was large enough to cover a person’s body and seemed quite sturdy.

“How about this?”

Taesan took the shield and checked it.

[Heavy Tower Shield] [Attack +1] [Defense + 5] [It seems quite sturdy and should be able to block many attacks.]

Taesan was surprised. It was not just at a decent level. This kind of equipment could only be obtained on the 7th floor of Easy Mode.

“How much is it?”

“500 gold.”

It was a reasonable price. Taesan quickly checked his gold. With only 243 gold, he was short half the value.

‘I’ll have to come back later.’

The increase in stats would make catching Big Rats much easier. He only needed to catch about seven more.

As Taesan was about to leave the shield behind, the dwarf stopped him.

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t have enough gold.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll give it to you for free.”

Taesan, who was headed towards the labyrinth, paused.

“For free?”

“Yes.”

As if to prove it wasn’t a lie, the dwarf tossed the shield.

[You’ve received a Heavy Tower Shield.]

‘He’s giving it for free?’

This was not like a shopkeeper. But the dwarf didn’t stop there.

“You have about 250 gold right now, right? There should be something you can buy with that. Wait.”

The dwarf kept pulling out something from his space. Taesan was taken aback.

‘What’s happening?’

Lee Taeyeon had always said that the dwarf was always cranky and never spread out his goods for display. He seemed extremely reluctant to give her anything. It was as if he was giving her something that didn’t fit her class.

But right now, the dwarf was showering him with items as if he was an easy mark.