009. Pioneer
There are many ways to attack the keeper.
The important thing here is that you don’t just beat them, you have to [strategize].
It was most important to know how they would attack, how to dodge, and where their weaknesses were.
In particular, among them, there were countless cases where no matter how strong the force was, it was impossible to break through if one did not know about the keeper.
And the keeper I faced was the same.
‘Cube… … is it?’
It was a keeper who was thought to be one of the over-technology relics that existed in the tower ruins in the past.
So, the first generation hunters. That is, the keepers that most hunters, except for the “real” hunters who actually hunted monsters to conquer the tower, did not know.
But I couldn’t help but remember that I had won the final before the return by breaking through this keeper and finding the hidden piece.
‘At that time, it was a dungeon that could only be discovered with an S+ rank Piercing Eye… … .’
Anyway, if you can get the ancient relic ‘Ether’ here, you will definitely be in the top 5.
With that thought in mind, I walked forward.
Then, as if it recognized me, a giant cube split into 27 pieces.
Of course, I couldn’t just keep watching it. I had to move.
‘now!’
As I reacted first, a huge flash of light flew straight from the cube.
A lightning flash that cannot be avoided unless you first know it is coming.
But luckily I knew about the attack and was able to react by rolling to the side.
‘If I hadn’t tried it before the regression, I would have been eliminated from the survival game right away… … .’
There was nothing left where the flash laser had passed.
But it wasn’t time to just admire it. The Cube fired lasers so intensely and quickly that it was hard to react when it first fired them, but then it overheated for a moment.
Now was the time to rush straight to Cube.
Jiying –
At the same time, the basic weapon was transformed into a magic weapon transformation to create a Paru.
What he was aiming for was a gap in a cube split into 27 pieces. He put a pry bar into the gap and pressed it with a lever, and one piece of the cube began to split open, revealing a gap.
‘This skill is really good.’
Because it is the ability to improvise and create the most necessary weapon at any time.
Of course, I don’t know if you can call something like this a weapon.
Anyway, that attack broke off a piece of the top row of cubes. First of all, one.
For now, I had to be satisfied with that. The overheated situation was starting to cool down and it was time for Cube to attack again. But that didn’t mean the initiative had been handed over.
Because the cube’s movements and attack distances are already predicted.
‘If it was a monster rather than a cube guarding an ancient relic, it might have been difficult due to the difference in physical specifications.’
But the cube was a kind of machine designed to protect ancient relics. There had to be a pattern. And situational manuals and such.
The cube with one side torn off immediately recognized it and moved on to the next method. Instead of shooting lasers, the remaining 26 cubes came together and transformed into another large shape.
In an instant, the cubes transformed into two giant hands and clapped their hands in my direction.
bang!
‘after…….’
Even though I knew about it in advance, it wasn’t easy to avoid. Instead, I wasn’t the only one who was hit this time either.
Kwajik… … Kwaddeok… … .
The center of the cubes that had formed the shape of handclaps began to split apart, making a strange sound.
The moment I had a feeling that he would transform into a powerful physical attack, I left the place where I was supposed to clap my hands and placed a piece of the cube I had torn off in that place.
No matter how hard it is, two cubes that collide have the same strength.
If it goes on like this, it will inevitably break.
Chi-chik… … Chik… … .
Soon, with a crashing sound, the cube that had been flying through the air lost its strength and fell to the ground.
It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t that difficult either.
“Huh… … Then let’s go get some ether.”
All that remained was harvest time.
The inside of the door after passing through the cube felt cool and refreshing, unlike the rather hot outside.
In the center, there was something like an altar, and something like a jewel box was placed on it.
‘This is actually… … It’s not real, it’s a virtual reality, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen it.’
As I went up to the altar and opened the box, light poured out from within.
A gentle light, but not intense.
It was ether.
‘A planner.’
Fortunately, Ether was in the expected location. If you go out with Ether equipped, you should be able to finish the match without any major incidents.
But when I equipped the weapon with ether, something completely unexpected happened.
The ether settled down, covering not only the weapon but also my entire body, turning it white. At that moment, I could feel some kind of energetic power.
[Full Bloom – Talent Bloom: Ether]: You can indirectly create Ether using mana.
‘oh….’
I was so lucky that it almost seemed like a miracle. It seemed like finding the Hidden Piece Dungeon with this body and defeating the “Keeper” and obtaining the Ether was considered a kind of ‘achievement’.
‘With this… … I might be able to use the gun without opening the ‘full bloom’.’
The reason I was able to use the gun I made with the old magic engineering weapon conversion in the Hunter’s League was because I had enough mana to create bullets and fire them in rapid succession.
So, since [Mankai] is not open, using guns was originally impossible.
‘But if it’s this… … .’
When I exuded mana from my body and created ether, it was very similar to the ether inside the box.
First of all, looking at the explanation, it says that it is implemented ‘indirectly’…
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Perhaps this means that the performance is poor.
I had to test its performance before going out to fight, so I created a pair of dual pistols using magic engineering weapon conversion.
‘As expected, even though this has been regressed, there is no change in performance at all. It’s really good.’
After that, I put the ether I created through the blooming of talent into one pistol, and the ether I obtained from the hidden dungeon into the other pistol.
One side felt heavier, so it felt different from the other. What about the firepower?
Ta-tang! Bang!
Looking at one side of the ruins’ wall, the difference was clear.
Perhaps because the amount of mana was small, the difference in destructive power between it and the relic was very large.
‘Good for deterrence, but difficult to land an effective hit. Is that about it…?’
But my heart raced at the thought that I might be able to use the firearms that I thought I couldn’t use during the audition program as a deterrent.
Since it’s a semi-permanent skill, I thought it might actually be the best reward.
***
“What the heck is that… … .”
As much as Lee Chang-hyun was worried about being on air, several of the many cameras were actually focusing on him and the keeper.
“Ah… …! I remembered. Isn’t that [Cube]? It’s so rare that I only saw it in a book my senior gave me before.”
“I guess he’s a rare keeper.”
“I heard that there were quite a few keepers of ancient relics before. As Minseok-sunbae said, it won’t be easy. But I think they’ll give me some airtime, right?”
As if responding to those words, as soon as Jin Su-hyeok finished speaking, a huge beam of light shot out from the cube.
‘Even if it were me, would I have been able to react… … .’
It was a speed that I didn’t think could be avoided unless I knew about it in advance.
But something happened that was hard to believe even when I saw it with my own eyes.
Lee Chang-hyun, whose stats were less than half of that of the previous player, dodged the laser.
‘Is it a coincidence?’
It didn’t stop there. The window that was given as a basic weapon suddenly changed shape into a paru.
“Is it a skill?”
“It seems to be a shape-shifting skill. You have something quite valuable… … . But what do you do with it? Uh… … ? Huh?”
Lee Chang-hyun approached the cube that had stopped for a moment without fear. It was as if he knew that it would not move at this point.
“Why isn’t it moving? Is it broken?”
“Where in the world would a keeper break down? But… … it’s definitely strange.”
Anyway, the cube didn’t move, and what was more absurd was Lee Chang-hyun’s behavior.
“That? With that?”
He inserted a piece of pry bar into the gap between the split cubes and used force to break one of them off using the principle of a lever.
“no…….”
There was only silence among the judging panel that was monitoring.
Fortunately, not long after, the cube started moving again.
Cubes that suddenly change shape to form a giant palm shape.
“I don’t know if it just broke or what caused it, but as long as it doesn’t break again… … .”
“With that guy’s stats, it would still be impossible for him to physically destroy those cubes.”
‘But what is it…? Why do I keep feeling uneasy?’
As if to prove Jo Ara’s anxiety, an incredibly loud noise echoed from Cube, where Lee Chang-hyun was hit with both palms.
Boom! – Crunch.
Joara couldn’t believe her eyes.
A cube that I thought could never be broken.
That cube was the one that Lee Chang-hyun had put in between his claps.
“It’s broken… … .”
“What a strange thing.”
“How could this be… … .”
Meanwhile, only admiration came out of the other judges’ mouths.
That’s because the fighting sense that Lee Chang-hyun showed and the ability to improvise on the spot were amazing.
“How did you dodge the first laser?”
“… … I wonder about that too.”
“I guess there would be a pattern since it’s not a living thing, but what are the chances of knowing that?”
“Even if it exists, there’s no way a single applicant would know something we don’t know. It’s highly likely that he or she has skills related to that area… … .”
It’s not like there was no skill at all.
From the [Future Vision] series of abilities that allow you to read the future, to abilities like [Reading Behaviors] and [Master of Patterns] that simply predict the next action.
If we really have to pick, there are many… … .
There was no doubt that Joara’s potential was much higher than he had thought.
Not long after I thought about it, something surprising actually happened.
“Wow, he’s using a gun again?”
“You came all the way here?”
At some point, Lee Chang-hyun was holding a pair of pistols that had been converted from a pistol. I don’t know the principle, but it seemed to be one of his skills.
“But this place is different from the first preliminary round, so the guns won’t work on other hunter applicants… … .”
“No… … Think about it, you said that the thing you can get from this dungeon is ether.”
In fact, it wasn’t like there was no way to use a gun in the first place. If you concentrated and compressed the mana very hard and shot it, it wasn’t impossible to shoot. However, the efficiency was too low, and it was difficult to load it with mana or skills like a bow and shoot it like a guided missile.
But what if you have ether? You don’t need mana. You can put ether in the magazine instead and shoot indefinitely with the energy from the ether.
“Ha… … Looks like they’re going to start shooting in this game again.”
“… … .”
It was Jo Ara who thought that she should be eliminated during the first preliminary round as it was a fluke.
Of course, I don’t deny the thoughts I had at that time. I couldn’t help but feel confused.
As he started the survival game, he thought back to what he had said.
‘What we want is a ‘real’ hunter. Not a player who plays in the Hunter’s League, but a hunter who is qualified to be a star. A hunter who will pioneer the world and expand his horizons, just like the first generation of hunters.’
In that sense, Lee Chang-hyun might have been a ‘hunter more like a hunter than anyone else’. He searched for treasures and unexplored areas, fought battles, and won the treasure.
‘If it were me over there, could I have done it?’
If it were Joara, she would have aimed for first place by taking Musou in a normal brawl.
Of course, Lee Chang-hyun’s stats didn’t seem that great from Jo Ara’s perspective.
‘… … But a path that others do not take. A hunter who forges his own path.’
But just a little bit. Even just a little bit, I couldn’t help but think of the first generation Hunters.
fantasy,
