Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Bandit Leader
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The dungeon was quite expansive. Each floor was incredibly spacious, and there were monsters everywhere to match. Yuseong tore through the dungeon, hunting down every last bandit.
‘Gotta maximize profits during the bonus period.’
He still had plenty of ammo left. He’d massively increased his reserves after learning his lesson from past traps. On top of that, his skills were helping out.
Bang!
The flying bullet pierced one bandit’s head before lodging in the face of the bandit behind him.
Thud! Thud!
The two bandits collapsed at the same time.
He’d used Piercing Shot.
Yuseong was pleased. Taking down two foes with a single bullet.
Even simply put, that saved him one round—which meant lower costs.
‘Worth buying.’
But it wasn’t solely thanks to the skill. Piercing Shot only boosted penetration; it had no homing feature.
In other words, to strike two enemies at once like this, he had to line them up perfectly.
Bandits required headshots for a one-hit kill, too, which made pulling it off even harder.
For Yuseong, though, it wasn’t much of a challenge.
That said, it wasn’t all upside.
Skills consumed MP. Once MP ran dry, no more skills. Natural regeneration existed, but it was painfully slow.
That meant buying mana potions, of course. A whole new expense.
‘Still a net gain, though.’
Mana potions cost less than the ammo he was saving.
After sweeping every monster from floors 1 and 2, Yuseong descended to floor 3.
He’d just wiped out the bandits nearest the stairs and rounded the corner when—
‘This one’s different.’
Every bandit he’d encountered so far had been ragged-looking and armed with daggers, but this new one had a neat appearance and wielded a bow.
Bandit Archer. That was the name the strategy guide had provided.
The regular bandits noticed Yuseong and charged with daggers drawn. Meanwhile, the Bandit Archer stood its ground and nocked an arrow.
Twang!
An arrow shot forth.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out simultaneously.
Thwack!
The neck of one charging bandit snapped back as it crumpled to the ground.
Whoosh!
The arrow, by contrast, harmlessly grazed right past the spot where Yuseong’s neck had been a split-second earlier.
The sharp whistling sound tickled his ear. Enough to send chills down anyone’s spine—yet Yuseong didn’t flinch.
Bang!
Another regular bandit went down.
Only the Bandit Archer remained.
Yuseong effortlessly dodged the next arrow and leveled his gun at the archer.
With the gunshot, the Bandit Archer collapsed.
‘Its HP’s the same as a regular bandit’s.’
According to the strategy guide.
One shot to the head, two to the body. The ranged attacks were a minor annoyance, but nothing threatening.
Lifting the bundle it left behind granted him Stolen Goods (Medium Value).
Bandit Archers weren’t the only new enemy on floor 3. Bandit Swordsmen wielding swords appeared, along with Elite Bandits—thieves decked out in surprisingly solid armor.
Elite Bandits in particular could even survive a critical headshot.
Bandit Swordsmen dropped Stolen Goods (Medium Value), while Elite Bandits dropped Stolen Goods (High Value).
Down on floor 4, regular bandits vanished entirely. The lineup consisted of Bandit Swordsmen and Archers filling the ranks, with Elite Bandits mixed in.
Difficulty had spiked. This was the first dungeon where he’d truly felt challenged.
【This dungeon’s recommended clearance level is 22 or higher. It’s only natural that you’re finding it tough.】
‘You recommended a dungeon like this?’
【It’s what you wanted. I also judged that your skills were more than sufficient to handle it.】
It did feel tough in practice, but not impossibly so.
Before he knew it, he’d passed floor 5 and reached floor 6—the dungeon’s final level, per the strategy guide.
Just like the others, he combed floor 6 from top to bottom, eliminating every mob. Then he stood before the door at its deepest point.
‘The boss is beyond this, right?’
【Correct.】
‘What kind of boss?’
【Bandit Leader. A power type wielding a massive cleaver as its weapon.】
Yuseong listened to the strategy guide’s explanation but didn’t get too hung up on it.
Having info was definitely better, but real combat wasn’t something info alone could solve.
He pulled out a mana potion and drank it. His depleted MP filled right up. He checked his remaining ammo in the inventory and finished prepping for battle.
He opened the boss room door.
What appeared was a pristine room—hardly what you’d expect from a bandits’ hideout. A single mob stood smack in the center.
A burly man whose stiff beard covered half his face. His sharp eyes locked onto Yuseong.
Step.
He stepped inside. Boom! The door slammed shut on its own.
The Bandit Leader drew its blade. Just as the guide described: a broad cleaver the size of a man’s torso. It matched the Leader’s bulky frame, making for an intimidating sight.
“A rat’s sneaked in!”
A proper dungeon boss, talking and all.
“You might’ve gotten lucky enough to reach here, but you end right now!”
With that, the boss charged at Yuseong. Yuseong raised his gun.
As if to prove it was a boss from a dungeon above Yuseong’s level, the Bandit Leader was undeniably strong.
Its opponent, however, was Yuseong.
Even the extra bosses—with far greater level gaps—had fallen to him one after another. The Bandit Leader was no match by comparison. And now he even had skills.
Bang bang!
A double shot nailed the boss’s head. Skill doubled the damage, and the headshot doubled it again—for quadruple damage in one go.
The boss was stunned outright. Yuseong capitalized, slamming in Reinforced Shots. He reloaded empty magazines in a flash and chugged mana potions whenever his MP dipped.
The boss wasn’t just taking it lying down, either. It unleashed a barrage at Yuseong. Every swing carried bone-crushing weight—enough to cleave him in half on contact.
But the boss’s fierce blade never reached Yuseong.
Bang!
The final gunshot echoed as the Bandit Leader collapsed.
[Your level has increased.]
‘Nice!’
Dungeon cleared and a level up to boot—Yuseong was in high spirits.
He picked up the bundle that appeared after the Bandit Leader vanished.
There were various items, but only one caught his eye right now.
Stolen Goods (Ruby’s Tear).
He’d obtained his objective.
‘How long until this boss respawns?’
【3 hours.】
‘Let me know when it does.’
He needed 50 Stolen Goods (Ruby’s Tear). Time to grind.
* * *
Yuseong left the dungeon for now. Plenty of time remained until the Bandit Leader respawned, and he needed to restock ammo anyway.
‘Might as well claim that quest reward while I’m out.’
He headed for Eurd, popping a black bread into his mouth out of habit. A smile tugged at his lips.
The area around Eurd remained bustling with players and NPCs.
One by one, eyes turned toward Yuseong. A far cry from his previous visit.
Yuseong ignored them and approached Eurd.
“How’d it go?”
Eurd asked, eyes brimming with anticipation. Without a word, Yuseong opened his inventory and handed over the quest items.
“Oh! Ooh! My goods!”
Eurd threw his hands up in ecstasy.
“Thank you! I really thought it was all over! Ah, the reward.”
[Your experience has increased.]
[You received 1,980 gold.]
“I’ll reward you every time you recover my goods from now on. Please keep helping me out.”
And with that, Eurd returned to his usual demeanor.
Business concluded. But Yuseong didn’t leave Eurd’s side. His gaze remained fixed on his inventory.
‘Why won’t this item turn in?’
He’d tried handing over every quest item, but the Stolen Goods (Ruby’s Tear) from the Bandit Leader stubbornly stayed put.
‘A bug?’
The sudden thought sent a chill down his spine. The worst possible scenario for him right now. Fortunately, it wasn’t.
【Stolen Goods (Ruby’s Tear) is a quest requirement item that unlocks only after you’ve turned in a certain number of other Stolen Goods items. You can’t turn it in yet.】
‘How many do I need to turn in for the new quest to unlock?’
【Stolen Goods (Low Value) are worth 10 points, Stolen Goods (Medium Value) 20 points, and Stolen Goods (High Value) 50 points. You need a total exceeding 2,000 points for the next quest to open.】
Yuseong started trying to tally his current points, then gave up.
‘They’ll pile up eventually while I’m farming.’
He had to run the dungeon nonstop for 50 Stolen Goods (Ruby’s Tear) anyway, so they’d accumulate whether he liked it or not.
Yuseong set off to restock ammo and potions.
Curious stares bored into his back.
* * *
- Black Bread Killer showed up in Verhil lol
- Haven’t seen him around Tar lately, guess he moved
- What’s he up to?
- Looks like he’s doing the Merchant on the Brink of Bankruptcy quest? Goes to Eurd munching black bread. Knew it was him from the bread, dude ate it so tasty lol
- Lol gotta do that if you’re in Verhil
- I skipped it cuz monopolizing hunting spots sucks
- Up to him, but you should do it if you can
- People don’t pay real money for nothing
- Which hunting ground’s Black Bread Killer gonna claim? Wanna see for myself
- No clue
- He’s gone into Eurd’s private space a few times, so quest’s def on
- Lemme know if you find out where he’s hunting, wanna check it out lol
- Me too lol
That chatter about Yuseong spread across the internet, and a few days later—
- Black Bread Killer really doing the Brink of Bankruptcy Merchant quest? Checked all three spots, no sign
- Maybe you just missed him?
- Nah. Our guild has a few people on it too, none saw the guy
- Guess he’s not then
- Then why’s he going back and forth to Eurd? No reason if not a quest
- Buying quest items maybe?
- Could be
- Or found a new bandit hunting ground
- That easy?
- Who knows. With the gunplay, makes sense he cleared an undiscovered dungeon to boost stats, but finding one in a beginner zone everyone’s already swept means insane luck
- Then he’s not messing with Hers, right?
- Yeah, no way they’d leave a bandit spot alone
- Black Bread Killer’s screwed then
- What if he wins? He took down extra bosses back-to-back
- No way he solos a guild. He’s not some super high-level either
- Why assume conflict? He might just hand over the dungeon info nicely
- Nothing’s set in stone. If they clash, we just grab popcorn
- True lol