Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: The Grotesquely Decayed Something
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The monster I encountered was called a "Grotesquely Decayed Something," a creature classified as undead.
It was odd that its name—a proper noun meant to distinguish it from others—contained such a vague term as "something." But one look at its appearance made it all click.
Its skin was so rotten that it sloughed off in rivulets. I could see pools of the shed skin collecting in the passage behind it.
If this weren't a game, its skin would have long since melted away completely, leaving nothing but a puddle of raw flesh.
With skin like that, there was no way to guess what kind of creature it had been in life. It walked on two legs and had two arms and two legs, but that described countless monsters.
Hence, "something."
-Grraaarr.
Its voice was even more grating than a zombie's, amplifying its grotesque nature.
[What the hell is that?]
[I knew there was a reason I never went there.]
[No one's got proper skin around here.]
"It's a hallmark of the Ludeart region. All the monsters are rotting away."
[We don't need that kind of feature.]
[No wonder it's unpopular.]
A monster was still a monster, though. I raised my gun.
[Thank goodness Yuseong's weapon is a gun.]
[No way you'd melee that thing.]
The monster spotted me. It swung its arm, and chunks of its melting skin splattered toward me.
Even its attacks were nauseating. I ducked behind the corner I'd come from.
Splat!
The flesh stuck to the wall before sliding down in a gooey trail.
[Ew!]
[Everything about it is creepy AF!]
The chat exploded, but I stayed calm.
"It doesn't have impressive attack power. Of course, with our level gap, a direct hit could put my HP in jeopardy. The real danger is its special ability. You get poisoned on contact, and it slows your movement. The gross feeling? That's just a bonus and doesn't really matter."
[It matters plenty!]
[I'd rather die than get hit by that!]
"But its defense is the real issue."
I stepped out from the corner.
-Graaaah!
It charged at me with surprising speed, trying to track where I'd vanished from its sight. I fired at it.
Bang!
The bullet pierced its head cleanly. But it didn't seem to do much.
I'd experienced this before when fighting much higher-level monsters than me, but this time it felt even more pronounced.
"As you can see, regular physical attacks barely work. Its skin is like attacking water."
The animation from my last shot illustrated it perfectly. I'd blown a hole in its face, but the flowing skin immediately filled it back in. Like shooting mud.
[Wow, they really thought of everything.]
"That's where special ammo comes in."
I loaded ice bullets and fired.
Crack!
The cold froze its skin. But it had decent cold resistance, so the effect wasn't overwhelming.
In that case, I'd just unload more.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
I even activated Double Shot as I poured ice bullets into it.
Not a single one missed its face, despite the monster thrashing around. Crackle!
Its head froze solid. No more skin dripping now.
"This makes its body vulnerable to physical attacks."
I swapped magazines. This one was loaded with enhanced rounds.
"Then we target the weak spots."
Gunfire echoed again.
Even with its face frozen, the monster somehow zeroed in on me, unleashing attacks. I kept pouring fire into the target I'd created.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Unlike the mud-like resistance earlier, the frozen skin chipped away satisfyingly with each hit.
But the monster wasn't taking it lying down.
Whoosh!
Its arm stretched out long. The dripping skin morphed into spear-like tendrils flying at me.
"Quite the trickster."
I leaped sideways to dodge. But the attack didn't end there.
Boom!
The extended arm exploded, spraying chunks everywhere. I'd anticipated this, though.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
I'd reloaded with ice bullets and shot the incoming globs dead-on.
Thump! Thump!
The frozen chunks hit the ground.
[Artistic as always.]
[How does he even do that?]
After intercepting the globs, I turned back to the monster.
The labyrinth rang with the clamor of battle. Soon enough, it collapsed.
"So that's the kind of thing you find in this dungeon."
[Brutal dungeon.]
[Yeah, hard pass.]
I picked up my drops and cash, then resumed navigating the maze.
* * *
It was a chaotic setting—a labyrinth meant to contain countless undead—but it was still just a game dungeon. Not excessively huge or labyrinthine.
Plus, I had a good memory for paths when survival was on the line, and more importantly, I had the strategy guide. There was no getting lost here.
Narrow passages were the real hazard, though.
If a fight dragged on and another monster showed up, things got messy.
If the new one came from the same direction as the one I was fighting, it was actually a boon. The tight corridor hindered them from piling on.
But if it came from behind? Run.
Slide!
I slid under a swinging arm, then sprang up and bolted forward.
Boom!
Its attack smashed where I'd been. Hesitate even a second, and it'd be a direct hit.
The risk paid off by funneling them into one direction. Then I'd counterattack.
In those cases, I favored explosive rounds. Undead were weak to fire, and the blasts were perfect for tight spaces.
Of course, luck didn't always hold. Sometimes I'd get surrounded by three or more. When six closed in from front and back, even I lost my cool.
That's when I really bounced around.
Kicking off floors, walls, even ceilings to maneuver. Only possible in narrow halls.
Viewers lost it especially when I gripped a protruding rock high on the wall with one hand, twisting my body to evade attacks.
[Whoa, how?]
[Stats make it doable for others, but that idea is insane.]
[Combat sense on another level.]
And so I cleared the dungeon floor by floor.
My hunts stabilized as I leveled up.
It was when I reached the fifth floor.
[Huh? NPCs?]
[Why's there a camp in a dungeon?]
A group of NPCs clustered at the entrance. Simple tents, a crackling campfire, and a pot over the flames.
It screamed campsite.
Camping where undead roamed? Questionable sanity, even accounting for varied tastes.
But seeing who was camping made it make sense.
Uniform gear, no individuality.
Soldiers.
"They're Ludeart troops. They patrol for anomalies and cull undead. The area around them is a safe zone. They even restore HP and MP for a fee."
A midway checkpoint.
"They offer simple quests, but I won't take any."
Not worth it.
I passed the camp. The soldiers glanced but did nothing.
[So you'll use that as a base for a bit?]
"Not me, anyway. Others might, but it's just HP and MP recovery. No ammo sales, so it's tough for a Gunner."
Other classes at least needed potions, so they couldn't linger forever either. But ammo-hungry Gunners? Forget it.
The camp wasn't useless, though. In fact, it was my goal.
I eyed the most heavily armed among them—their apparent leader.
* * *
Time passed, and I'd descended to the eighth floor.
Others might have cleared it by now, but starting at a much lower level meant it took me longer.
Not much left, though. Ten basement floors total. Just two more.
I'd nearly burned through my ammo and was heading to the surface when—
"Please wait a moment."
Passing the fifth-floor camp, the leader—who'd ignored me before—suddenly called out.
'Perfect.'
"What is it?"
I responded like I'd been waiting.
[Why's he calling now?]
[He's ignored you this whole time?]
The chat filled with question marks. I stood before him.
He peered intently at my face.
[What's with that look?]
[Uh oh?]
[Coming-out moment?]
NPC? The chat buzzed. Unfazed by modern memes, I had no clue what they meant.
"Aren't you Yuseong, by any chance?"
"Yes."
"I knew it!"
He beamed.
"I've heard the rumors! You defeated a demon!"
[Demon slayer?]
[Oh yeah, Yuseong took one down before.]
[Wasn't that a linked quest? Is this one linked too?]
One viewer's comment set off the chat. Plausible, and if true, a huge find.
[Yuseong's linked quests are always unique!]
[Tracking down the next one is brutal, right?]
[Practically luck-based. You're so lucky!]
'Luck.'
I didn't think so. Sole survivor of a ruined world, with the strategy guide and Ark as aids.
But if I were truly lucky, I wouldn't have been born there.
Linked quests succeeded thanks to the guide, not luck.
That said, pursuing them made me uneasy.
'The progression relies too much on luck.'
No hints for the next step, harsh trigger conditions.
Like it demanded external info.
Or else.
'They designed the game solely for someone with the strategy guide.'