Chapter 45
Chapter 45
But it’s different when it comes to my brother.
However, if that value didn’t stop at 1,000 but reached 100,000, the story completely changed.
At that point, the increase wasn’t by five, but by five hundred, a number that was far from small.
If the top-tier Slayers’ attack power averaged around 5,000, then a gain of 500 was equivalent to a full tenth of that power.
The ratio will definitely get higher.
For now, it was only 0.5%, but if it became 1%, 2%, or even 5%, the resulting increase would be astronomical.
And as time went on, Hyunseok’s abilities would only rise exponentially.
According to his own explanation, when a stat reached 100, related ability values rose by 100%, and when it reached 200, by 200%, and so on, meaning that if his stats reached several hundred thousand, his power would scale accordingly.
Either way, right now, I can’t be much help to Oppa. Rather than worry about that, it’s better to focus on mastering my skills and raising the ratio.
If she, like Pyeonghwa, mastered a Ratio-type buff skill, she believed she could become a tremendous help to Hyunseok in the future.
Meanwhile, Hong Seyoung, who had revealed that her class was a Hidden Class, was training an unusually unique skill.
It was the same skill she had used during her PvP match with Hyunseok.
Later, after joining the same guild, she learned that it was an ambush skill that utilized shadows.
Outwardly, she appeared to be a Disruption-type Slayer, but when examined closely, she was much closer to Ha Jongwon’s one-strike style.
Her hits weren’t as heavy as his, but her attacks ignored defense and used poison to deliver a critical shot aimed precisely at the vital point, a different form of one-strike Slayer altogether.
Of course, as a Disruption-type Slayer, she could still perform her role perfectly well, so it wouldn’t be wrong to call her multi-class either.
Hong Seyoung understood her place clearly.
Within the Inha Guild, I need to take on the role of a Disruption-type Slayer. And when the crucial moment comes, I have to land that one decisive strike. For that, I need to keep honing this Shadow Ambush.
As for Lee Myunghoon, he was busy training his Exploration Skill.
In fact, within this dungeon, he had already achieved significant progress, he’d managed to acquire Advanced Exploration.
Within the Inha Guild, Myunghoon’s role was extremely special.
He possessed enough combat ability to protect himself, while also being able to uncover new dungeons, a crucial ability that, according to Hyunseok’s standards, was one of the hardest achievements to attain.
Calling it “unique” might be an understatement, it was a vital position.
So far, Exploration Skill Books hadn’t appeared on the market at all.
Actually, there were far more undiscovered Skill Books than ones that had ever been found.
Since the transition from Easy Mode to Normal Mode, the probability of obtaining Skill Books had dropped drastically.
At best, support and recovery Slayers had slightly better drop rates, but combat-type skills, and especially Trapper skills, hadn’t appeared even once.
That was precisely why Hyunseok believed Myunghoon needed to be fully supported.
There was simply no one who could replace him.
Fortunately, Myunghoon never tried to abuse his importance; he genuinely seemed to find joy in the act of discovering dungeons itself.
Lastly, Yeonsu felt like he’d struck gold.
A dungeon that accelerated skill leveling? For him, it was a dream come true.
He was a Tank, a Defense-type Slayer.
Having served as the front-line leader during the Cyclops Slaying, his skill was already proven.
Now, the stone tablet in front of him was oozing a green fluid, the same kind the Giant Turtle had spat, and Yeonsu was practicing his defensive skills against it.
Hyunseok, on the other hand, wasn’t in a position to focus on a single skill.
Most of his skill levels were already so high that repetitive training barely helped.
Skills that increased through stats, such as Combat Field and Healing Field, had reached the point where further leveling through repetition was nearly impossible.
The only skill he could currently train was Power Control.
Since the stone tablet’s rebound strength was weak, Impact Control didn’t progress much.
Still, this is good enough.
He’d managed to reduce his attack power by as much as 50%.
With each skill-up, the adjustment range in the (–) direction grew noticeably.
Even more encouraging was that he could now increase attack power by 2%.
Just as Minseo predicted, Hyunseok greatly benefited from Ratio-type skills, given his absolute stat values.
In any case, two full weeks passed,
two weeks of pure grinding.
It was enough to make anyone feel restless.
[Dungeon clear conditions have been met.]
The condition was complete, and a new notification sound immediately followed.
[Boss Monster has been generated.]
[First Dungeon Boss Monster discovered.]
[Recognized as an Easy Achievement.]
The Inha Guild had discovered the first Hidden Dungeon, the first Training Dungeon, and now, the first Dungeon Boss Monster.
It was recognized as an easy achievement, rewarding them with a +3 bonus stat.
I expected a boss monster would appear eventually…
But he hadn’t expected it to be today.
Even though Normal Mode had been running for some time, no Dungeon Boss had yet appeared.
If this were an online game, such bosses would normally be un-soloable raid monsters that required a full party to defeat.
Then, another familiar alert popped up for Hyunseok.
[Due to stats exceeding the Normal Mode limit, the Boss Monster’s abilities have increased by 30%.]
[Penalty applied: Boss Monster’s special skill restriction has been lifted.]
A giant shadow emerged in the clearing, the Giant Turtle.
However, it was smaller than the one that had appeared along the Gyeongin Expressway: about two meters tall and five meters long.
Hyunseok felt slightly relieved.
Judging by the Cyclops encounter, even if size and difficulty varied, monsters of the same type shared the same behavior patterns.
With its shell still intact, this one likely wouldn’t be too dangerous.
But then,
[Boss Monster’s special skill restriction has been lifted.]
He had underestimated that message.
He’d heard similar ones so many times, “Due to stats exceeding the Normal Mode limit, monsters become more aggressive.”
He’d grown used to them, too used to them.
Even the most cautious person could grow complacent through repetition.
And in that fleeting moment of carelessness, the miniature Giant Turtle struck first.
Despite its heavy shell and slow-looking movements, the green liquid spraying from its mouth was clearly dangerous.
Jongwon shouted,
“Shit! Its shell’s still intact!”
That same green liquid had instantly killed over forty Slayers during the previous Giant Turtle raid.
Now, with a boss-level enhancement and a 30% stat boost, its destructive power would be even greater.
Even a single drop could be lethal.
Hyunseok cursed,
“Damn it!”
He himself wasn’t in real danger, even if hit, he’d be fine.
Even Jongwon would likely withstand a hit or two.
They all knew the acid inflicted massive damage upon direct contact, so they’d be ready with shields.
Unlike Hyunseok, who couldn’t equip items, Combat Slayers carried basic defensive gear in their inventories.
That included Myunghoon.
Hong Seyoung could simply evade.
The problem was Minseo and Pyeonghwa.
With the turtle’s surprise attack, Hyunseok’s ability allowed him to protect only one of them, which meant he’d have to let the other take the hit.
A single lapse in concentration had created a dangerous situation.
Damn it!
Worse, the turtle kept spewing green acid in all directions.
Shit!
Two figures appeared in front of him, Kang Pyeonghwa and Yoo Minseo.
One was the woman who had, for the first time in years, stirred his heart.
The other, the sister he loved more than anything.
That single moment felt endlessly long.
He had to choose fast.
Hesitation could mean losing both.
Though the turmoil in his heart ran deep, time was mercilessly short.
And then, he decided.
❋ ❋ ❋
Hyunseok threw himself forward.
He could only shield one person.
His body moved instinctively, not by thought.
He dove toward Minseo.
When he blocked her, the green acid washed over him completely.
He took the hit, though the damage registered as 0, but if Minseo had taken it, she would’ve been in mortal danger.
Surprisingly, despite its boss modifiers, this Giant Turtle seemed weaker than the field version.
According to Ha Jongwon, who had taken a direct hit before, its approximate attack power was around 5,000-6,000.
For Minseo or Pyeonghwa, that was more than enough to kill instantly.
Hyunseok quickly looked to the side.
Damn it… Pyeonghwa!
Relief for saving Minseo instantly turned into panic over Pyeonghwa’s safety.
A hissing sound erupted — Pssssss—! —
white vapor rising from the air.
In Normal Mode, external effects beyond HP reduction weren’t supposed to exist, which made this even more alarming.
The vapor meant some form of reaction, something was happening.
Yeonsu shouted from ahead,
“Miss Kang Pyeonghwa! Fall back further!”
Pyeonghwa, startled and disoriented, didn’t react properly.
Yeonsu grabbed her by the waist and leapt backward.
He wasn’t as nimble as Hong Seyoung, but as a top-tier Slayer, his movements were swift.
“The vapor, it’s a dispersal-type attack!”
He readjusted his shield, stepping forward again.
The normally kind, bumbling Kim Yeonsu was gone, only the elite Tank Kim Yeonsu remained, fulfilling his role flawlessly.
The vapor inflicted damage too, not through oxidation, as Normal Mode disallowed true environmental effects, but as another form of attack.
Its damage was far less than the acid’s, but still more than enough to threaten Minseo or Pyeonghwa.
With Minseo safe, Pyeonghwa unharmed, and relief flooding through him, Hyunseok’s next emotion was fury.
The last attack had been far too dangerous.
You son of a bitch…!
The faster he assessed the situation, the better.
He’d saved Minseo, and Yeonsu had saved Pyeonghwa.
The rest of the guild members could handle themselves.
Pyeonghwa was already healing the most injured members,
and Minseo was casting buffs on Seyoung, Jongwon, and Yeonsu.
The Giant Turtle’s acid spray seemed to have a slight delay.
In that brief window, Hyunseok closed the distance.
(End of Chapter 45)
Thanks for reading All Stat Slayer! If you’re enjoying the climb, share your feedback, it keeps Hyunseok’s stats rising and the story evolving.
— Translated by Prime Works —