Chapter 38
Chapter 38
For boss monsters like the Twin-Head Troll, Hyunseok typically slays them alone, even while in a party. The party members still receive experience and achievement rewards, but the slaying itself is credited to the one who lands the direct hit, so the achievement is recognized as a solo kill.
In other words, even if the other party members’ contribution is below 20%, they still receive bonus stats, and Hyunseok gets credit for the solo achievement. This could be considered a kind of system bug.
Myunghoon called it the "Party System Bug." Since no guild outside Inha Guild had been able to perform slayings this way, the “bug” wasn’t widely known.
‘The party system bug… seems to only apply to Inha Guild. Good.’
Normally, clearing a dungeon by one-shotting a Twin-Head Troll would grant +3 bonus stats as an easy achievement reward. Myunghoon had invested his stats into the “Exploration” skill and eventually acquired the high-tier skill “Advanced Exploration.” He then left for the provinces to locate dungeons. He contacted Hyunseok five days later.
Before Myunghoon even called, Hyunseok received a notification:
[Normal Dungeon Detected Successfully.]
[Achievement recognized for being the first to detect a Normal Dungeon.]
[Recognized as a difficult achievement.]
[Bonus Stats +10 awarded.]
Hyunseok hadn’t been paying attention to the party inside the dungeon. Unlike online games, there was no active party window. Yet, the party formed inside the dungeon seemed to persist outside as well, so Myunghoon’s achievement was credited to the entire party. This was a new revelation.
[Penalty for exceeding Normal Mode stat limits: 50% reduction applied.]
Before the notifications finished, Myunghoon called.
―“Guild Leader, this time I actually used Exploration to find it.”
❋ ❋ ❋
“Wow, I thought I was going to die.”
Myunghoon complained nonstop, recounting every hardship. But since he had achieved a difficult achievement alone, earning bonus stats and achievement points, Jongwon eventually snapped.
“Alright, you Pinocchio! I get it, you’re tired and went through all that, but shut up already!”
“Cheh!”
Hyunseok chuckled. He and Myunghoon weren’t that close yet, so he just listened quietly. Jongwon, however, couldn’t tolerate it.
According to Jongwon, Myunghoon’s nickname was Pinocchio. Despite claiming he was exhausted, it was obvious he wasn’t struggling, and he constantly said things like, “I’m dying from exhaustion!” Hence the nickname. It wasn’t that he lied about other things, but he frequently exaggerated his own struggles.
The strange thing was that no matter how much he complained about dying or not being able to move, when the work came, he completed it flawlessly. He always proved that his whining was purely an act.
Until now, dungeons had revealed themselves naturally. Even in Easy Mode, dungeons appeared this way. The last dungeon Myunghoon claimed to find, the one that involved the Pyeongchang Guild, was later discovered to have revealed itself; Myunghoon had just exaggerated that he found it using his Exploration skill to assert ownership and prevent others from entering.
But this dungeon was different. Myunghoon genuinely discovered it with his skill, and the achievement recognition confirmed it. The notification also stated that this was the first Normal Dungeon discovered.
Hyunseok hesitated.
‘Should I go in with him or not?’
Although he had received the call, he hadn’t decided yet. Since it was the first dungeon discovered in this way, he had no idea what awaited inside.
Of course, Hyunseok, who far exceeded the Normal Mode stat limits, might be fine, but the same couldn’t be said for others.
Things were clearly different now. In the past, he wouldn’t even have considered whether to go in. With no information, he would have simply stayed out. Now, he was leaning toward entering, weighing the risks.
Hyunseok said:
“I’ll go in alone this time, just to scout.”
Jongwon frowned, puzzled.
“What’s this? Not like you. If you don’t go, you just don’t go. Why go in alone?”
“This is the first dungeon discovered through Exploration. We don’t know what’s inside, so it’s better if I go in alone to gather information.”
This wasn’t a game dungeon. Death here meant actual death.
No matter how strong or capable one was, prioritizing safety was the right choice. Even in trivial matters, obsessing over safety wasn’t a flaw.
‘When fighting the Cyclops, I realized… two people lifting a blank sheet can be inconvenient. When the gap is too large, it’s better to go alone.’
Overconfidence was always worse than measured caution, except in this case.
‘This must be a true Normal Mode dungeon.’
He had always found Normal Mode dungeons to be too easy. Having stats exceeding Easy Mode requirements made Easy Mode dungeons trivial. This dungeon, however, had been discovered by Myunghoon, who wasn’t a stat-exceeding Slayer. Thus, it was truly Normal Mode-level.
Hyunseok heard the familiar notification, slightly different from before:
[Enter Normal Dungeon? Y/N]
It wasn’t just “dungeon” this time, it was a “Normal Dungeon.” He felt the true sense of entering Normal Mode. Hyunseok pressed Y.
❋ ❋ ❋
The Normal Dungeon had been found using an Exploration skill.
‘The value of Slayers with Exploration skills will rise again.’
With Normal Mode, classes were becoming increasingly specialized, and new skills were emerging. While still broadly categorized into Combat, Recovery, and Support, higher modes might lead to even finer specialization.
[Entering Normal Dungeon.]
[Penalty applied due to stats exceeding Normal Mode limits.]
[Dungeon difficulty increased.]
[Monsters are more aggressive.]
[Recovery zones and safe zones are removed.]
The penalty notification rang. For Hyunseok, it was almost welcome. The difficulty increase was largely ceremonial; the actual threat was minimal. Any penalties applied were mostly relevant to other Slayers accompanying him. Recovery zones and safe zones meant little to Hyunseok, and aggressive monsters posed almost no threat.
“Looks similar to Easy Mode so far…”
The dungeon resembled the one he had previously entered. While many Slayers were now in Normal Mode, Easy Mode Slayers still existed in considerable numbers.
‘Probably Normal Mode and Easy Mode dungeons coexist.’
It was unclear how long this phenomenon would last; someday, Easy Mode dungeons might disappear entirely.
The winding cave corridors, the torches emitting light without heat, and the eerie atmosphere reminded him of Easy Mode.
‘Let’s go.’
As he stepped forward, a sharp, piercing sound echoed through his ears.
Fshhh!
Hyunseok quickly ducked and flopped to the ground in a comically un-Slayer-like manner. Muddy water pooled on the floor, but it had no physical effect beyond H/P reduction, which was 0.
“Whoa… that scared me.”
Three long spears had shot horizontally through the passage, slowly retracting into the walls. If he had been hit, he might have been skewered, but his H/P remained untouched. Even large moths rushing at the face could startle someone; three spear traps were far more frightening.
‘A trap has been added.’
Unlike Easy Mode, this dungeon contained traps. The damage of the trap was unknown, but Hyunseok planned to test it.
‘Still scary though…’
No matter how much he knew it wouldn’t harm him, experiencing it firsthand was different. It was like knowing a roller coaster isn’t dangerous, yet still being scared.
‘Better to test the power accurately, just in case my guys get hit.’
For anyone not exceeding Normal Mode stats, attempting the trap was dangerous. Hyunseok decided to touch it lightly with his fingertips.
The trap, three spears, seemed to appear at fixed intervals. Touching with fingertips resulted in 0 damage. More boldly with his arm, still 0. With his torso, still 0. When he pressed near his heart, a Critical Hit was registered.
(End of Chapter 38)
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— Translated by Prime Works —