008. Secret Dungeon
The sound of birds chirping, water flowing, and bushes moving in the breeze woke Lee Chang-hyun.
When I opened my eyes, there was a dense forest on one side, and an open cliff with a waterfall on the other side.
After a few minutes of taking in the scenery, I began to have mixed thoughts about whether there were other applicants nearby.
‘By the way, it’s a death match… … .’
This was welcome news for Lee Chang-hyun, who had been on the front lines the most while performing solo operations in the Hunters League.
In addition, the stage this time is [The Land Where Lost Souls Sleep]. It was a dungeon that Lee Chang-hyun was so familiar with before his return that he found it boring.
‘Was this the stage for the previous finals…?’
Because I studied it so thoroughly, I was able to figure out not only the structure of the dungeon, but also its key gimmicks and secret dungeons with my eyes closed.
It was easy to devise a strategy going forward.
Knowing what kind of map it was, it was easy to choose a valid strategy.
‘First of all, the most important thing in this map is the hidden piece.’
As this is the [Land Where Lost Souls Sleep], the hidden gimmick of this map, [Lost Souls], and if you find the hidden dungeon with Ether, the reward is enormous.
Aether was one of the ancient relics inside the tower, an intangible piece of equipment that could be additionally equipped to any weapon.
It sounds simple and insignificant when you say it like this, but when the actual thing was revealed, it was worth tens of billions.
Whether it’s a sword, an axe, a bow, or any other weapon, when it’s imbued with white ether, it becomes as powerful as if it were a different weapon.
It made a sword that could easily be blocked into a sword that could cut through anything, and when given to a normal arrow, it became an arrow that could pierce through anything.
It was a weapon that one could not help but covet.
‘Rely on your memory and find the hidden dungeon as a top priority. Then, after obtaining the hidden piece there, aim for the top kill count… … .’
So, relying on my memories from before the regression and [Piercing Eyes], I set out to find it.
A dungeon with hidden pieces that would probably exist if this dungeon was properly implemented.
***
‘Survival Game’
This was something that Jo Ara had come up with, and it was also a way to target Lee Chang-hyun, who was a thorn in her side.
‘Of course, that doesn’t mean the test topics were presented in a biased manner… … .’
In reality, there were more than one or two things that were necessary in a survival game. Not only that, they were also essential for a hunter.
First of all, do you know about the dungeons that appear randomly among the countless dungeons? Even if you don’t know about them, can you survive as a hunter with your improvisation skills?
Or maybe you have the ability to survive with special strengths, like special abilities that are different from others. And so on…
Of course, you could try to advance by quickly eliminating your opponents and reducing your numbers, but it wouldn’t be easy since the level of applicants was just about the same, and the risk of yourself being eliminated was too great.
‘So in the end, the basics… … as a hunter, fighting ability, and improvisation and information ability. Survival ability… … ‘
Applicants who appear dishonest tend to fall far short of these basic items. People like Lee Chang-hyun, the dishonest applicant Jo Ara saw in the first preliminary round.
Whether they knew Jo Ara’s thoughts or not, Jin Soo-hyeok and Lee Min-seok were talking about the applicants they were looking forward to in this match.
“This time, the overall level of the participants is quite high, right? There are quite a few from the Seoul City Academy, and there are also quite a few players who have been trained by the clubs.”
“By the way, it’s a survival game… … Did Ara prepare something fun? Those who have just awakened or those who lack the basics as hunters will all fall for this. It’s a good choice.”
“Who do you think will make it into the top five applicants if they are combat-oriented rather than survival-oriented?”
At those words, Lee Min-seok stroked his chin with his hand and fell into thought.
‘Because it’s combat-oriented… … Is there anyone who is combat-oriented? Why would they take risks? Unless they’re quite confident in their skills… … .’
Of course, there were still a few applicants who were thought to be combat-oriented.
“First of all, Yoon Han-gyeol, who is being raised by the LHR team. There are a lot of videos on Nuttube, so I watched them and their skills are definitely at a semi-pro level. When I watched the game videos, they also play very aggressively. Other than that, how about Yoo Hye-ju?”
“Are there any other players you’re looking forward to?”
‘hmm…….’
Of course, I remembered the guy who wielded dual pistols during the first preliminary round, which was quite unique, but it was only for a moment. I had no choice but to erase it from my mind.
This stage was not one where I could use luck or loopholes in the rules like I did back then. More than that, I didn’t think that guy would survive at all.
‘Looking at what you’ve written, it seems like you’re not a very well-prepared or meticulous person… ‘
Dungeons were all about precision. Information about the dungeon you were entering. Knowing your strategy and your opponent’s strategy. Knowing how to establish a long-term strategy for the task. There were many areas where you had to think hard.
But the answers he wrote in the first document screening didn’t seem to show much serious thought.
As I was thinking that, Jo Ara, who was monitoring the screen, shouted urgently.
“Isn’t this a bug? One of the applicants is going outside the mapped area?”
“what?”
If there was an error in the virtual reality stadium, it would be a broadcasting accident. It was not a dungeon tower, and it was clearly a stadium where only designated fields could be accessed, so it was impossible to leave the stadium.
“Please turn the screen over there quickly.”
Jin Su-hyeok shouted urgently.
Then, the numerous surveillance camera screens in front of the three judges merged into one giant screen.
“… … !”
The person who went outside the mapped area shown on the screen was none other than Lee Chang-hyun. The interesting thing is that the space outside the mapped area was not an unimplemented space, but was simply a cave blocked by a very large, long, and complexly patterned stone.
“Where is that? It’s not mapped, so how is it possible to go there?”
Lee Min-seok asked Jo A-ra, who was in charge of this map.
But Joara couldn’t answer right away and just sat there with her mouth open, blankly staring.
‘How… … How did you get there… … .’
The place that Lee Chang-hyun is going now is the place where the relics were sleeping during the time when [Land Where Lost Souls Sleep] was being conquered.
At the same time, it was not used as a stadium and was thus forgotten by the public.
In other words, it was a legacy from the past that came with the dungeon being implemented as a virtual reality.
‘I can’t believe it… That’s a place that not only ordinary people, but even the average first-division players don’t know about, so how could a mere applicant know about it… ‘
Joara denied her own eyes, but as time passed, the fact did not change at all.
I thought that he would fall behind in terms of both information and sincerity, but for something like this to happen. From Jo Ara’s perspective, this news must have been a bolt from the blue.
“Araya. Do you know something? If it’s a broadcasting accident, we need to figure out a way to respond quickly, so tell me quickly.”
When Lee Min-seok urged her, Jo Ara could no longer remain silent.
“The broadcasting accident… … is not. That… … is a map that exists, but does not exist for the applicants… … so it is a kind of secret dungeon.”
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“Please explain it in simpler terms.”
“So, if I explain in more detail… … You know that this virtual reality is based on an actual dungeon, right? But the place that Lee Chang-hyun is currently going to is a secret space that is unknown to the general public or even to the Hunter’s League players. So it is not mapped.”
Lee Min-seok frowned when he heard that.
“So, in the process of implementing it in virtual reality, a secret dungeon was also implemented, but the applicant ended up going in there?”
“……yes.”
“Then what’s the problem? What’s in the secret dungeon?”
Lee Min-seok said it seemed fortunate, but on the contrary, Jo Ara’s expression only darkened.
“It is said that the famous relic, [Ether], was originally located in that dungeon. It is an relic that was banned in the Hunter’s League for being too fraudulent… … .”
“Is it impossible to recover the relics?”
“As long as the game doesn’t stop. Of course, you won’t be able to bring it out in the virtual reality… … but at least you’ll be able to use it in this game.”
‘hmm…….’
It was truly a dilemma.
For a survival game to be worth watching, the applicants have to be of similar skill level. If the game involves massacring civilians by quickly using items, it is inevitable that there will be controversy over fairness.
Then, suddenly, a thought crossed Lee Min-seok’s mind.
“But with such a good relic, there’s no [Keeper]?”
Keepers were monsters that guarded good relics, and the better the relic, the stronger the keeper it had. In other words, no matter how good the relic called Ether was, if there was a keeper, Lee Chang-hyun wouldn’t be able to have it, so it didn’t matter.
“Keeper… … Ah. I didn’t think of that. I’ll turn the screen around.”
At the end of the geometrically and intricately patterned path that Lee Chang-hyun was walking on, a keeper was waiting at the end, just as the judges had thought.
‘Not your average keeper… … .’
Typically, keepers are powerful goalkeeper monsters, such as the commonly thought of knight type or a Minotaur with a long weapon… … .
‘None of that… … What the heck is that? Is it really a keeper?’
Guarding the huge door was a giant cube floating in the air. It was ‘something’ that was hard to tell if it was a monster or not.
***
It was an audition program that had already started. So I had no intention of settling for a low ranking.
‘That doesn’t mean I’m being overtly strong right now… … .’
Of course, even if you think about it, the situation is not easy to evaluate all the applicants at once, even though it is not yet fully open. This is because even if you have past combat experience and experience, there is a kind of strict limit ‘stat’ for Hunters.
That’s why I had no choice but to seek another way.
Fortunately, there was a way.
Because the dungeon that knows the existence of the Hidden Piece has appeared on the map.
‘It’s been so long that I can’t remember clearly, but… … .’
There was nothing I couldn’t find. A corner of a deep valley where I had arrived after chasing vague memories. A small waterfall flowing through thick vines. It felt like deja vu, like something I had seen before.
There is definitely a cave behind this.
I felt a strong sense of confidence in myself.
In fact, when we lifted the vines and went behind the waterfall, a huge cave appeared.
‘after…….’
Was it because I was relieved that my past memories were real, that I had regressed? I let out a sigh of relief.
With that in mind, I stepped forward into the dark cave, lighting the torch I had prepared in advance.
Step, step.
The irregular stone floor of the cave and the stalactites on the ceiling disappeared at some point, and a neatly organized floor with geometric and intricately beautiful patterns began to appear.
‘Soon… … .’
A huge cavity was finally revealed.
There was a keeper guarding the door in front of it.
But the keeper was no ordinary keeper.
[Cube]. It was a kind of over-technology concept keeper that was only found in the tower area with the characteristics of ancient ruins.
‘I wonder if this will be okay since it’ll all be broadcasted.’
At least in Korea, it was because he was a keeper armed with a gimmick that no one had ever broken except for the first generation hunters.
Although it is powerful in terms of force, the difficulty of conquering it is high due to the difficulty of the patterns and gimmicks, so I thought it would not be easy for me to break through it.
‘hmm…….’
The momentary worries continue.
It didn’t take long to come up with an answer.
And the answer was simple.
Do I need to hide myself when I become a player? If I achieve anything, it will become my asset.
In some ways, regression is an innate asset, like a skill or stat.
‘Hide it? It was a worry that wasn’t worth the effort. I’ll just break through it.’
fantasy,
