Chapter 129

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Translator: Ace

Chapter: 129

Chapter Title: The Ansan Sinkhole Challenge

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I'd been annoyed all day by how pathetically low my Luck stat was.

I must have grumbled about it internally a ton, but I never expected an item to fix it would just show up like this.

It was a simple bracelet that boosted Luck by 2 points with no other effects, but it was exactly what I needed right now.

I didn't even hesitate before slipping it onto my left wrist.

To confirm it was equipped, I pulled up my status window.

Sure enough, my Luck stat had gone up by 2.

Does that mean my coin drop rate has improved a bit now?

I have no idea exactly how much a +2 in Luck boosts drop rates compared to 1, but it has to be better.

It'd be nice if the system just told me the exact increase.

Whatever. All that matters is I bagged a good item from that mutant zombie.

With my stats boosted, I'll see the effects soon enough.

Honestly, though, this bracelet isn't the main point right now.

The reason I came here wasn't to hunt that spider-mutant zombie—it was to dive into this Difficulty 4 dungeon right in front of me.

I wonder if Luck affects final clear rewards too. Fingers crossed for something even better.

Alright, time to step into this terrifying Difficulty 4 dungeon.

I headed toward the massive hole where the mutant zombie had been lurking.

Convenient stairs spiraled down the walls, like an invitation only for those foolish enough to enter hell's maw.

Didn't bother me. I hurried inside, descended the stairs to the bottom, and the moment my feet hit the floor, a system window popped up in front of me.

The clear conditions were different from the last dungeon I did.

As I recalled, the Anyang Station dungeon required killing every zombie inside, but here it was just about surviving for a set time.

A prompt appeared asking if I wanted to start the trial.

Of course I hit Yes. The stairs I'd come down on immediately retracted into the walls, sealing off any escape.

It really felt like falling into a trap.

I could probably force my way out if I tried, but no need.

As I stared at the vanished stairs, a timer window appeared.

So now I just had to hold out for two hours. As I watched the timer tick down, the ground rumbled, and zombies began popping out of the floor one by one.

About twenty of them, give or take.

"Ah, so this is how the zombies spawn. That's why it's a two-hour survival."

I'd been wondering how they'd attack in this sealed pit while demanding I endure for a time limit. Popping up from underground? Smart.

And with no cover on the flat ground, I was instantly surrounded.

Any normal Awakener would panic ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in this spot.

Zombies crawling up from your feet, swarming from all sides, gunning for your life.

Not a problem for me, though.

The zombies that emerged spotted me and charged. I dashed to one side, grabbed a zombie's head, and hit it with Mana Drain to wipe it out. Then I touched the others rushing behind and sucked their demonic energy dry, one after ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠another.

"Man, I miss that broken sword from earlier."

If it weren't for that mutant zombie before entering, I could've sliced through this horde no sweat.

Fighting zombies barehanded takes me right back to the early days of the apocalypse. Did it just like this back then.

Lost in a brief flashback, I cleared them all in a flash.

"What? It can't be over already, right?"

Tense and scanning around, expecting something after the wipe—nothing happened.

Making me survive two hours against one measly wave? No way. Not for Difficulty 4.

Sure enough, as I stayed alert, the ground shook again, and another wave burst up.

"Aha, so that's the pattern."

They spawned the same way, but this wave was about double—around forty.

Yeah, now we're talking. This is fun.

Surrounded by the bigger horde, time passed as I cleared them barehanded again.

"If I just wait, another wave will come, right? I think I've got the gist."

Checked the remaining time—less than twenty minutes gone.

"Feels like they spawn on a schedule... Every ten minutes or so?"

The second wave hit around ten minutes in. Sure enough, at twenty minutes, another emerged.

Just like a game—zombies on a timer, every ten minutes.

And the numbers ramp up each time.

Easy at first, but they multiply exponentially as time drags on.

Sucks not having a weapon, but oh well.

I casually grabbed and drained the charging zombies as the waves kept coming.

Doubling each time, by the one-hour mark, it was up to 640.

"Damn, starting to get intense."

If I don't clear this wave in ten minutes, the next one piles on top. Yeah, that explains the Difficulty 4 rating.

No hiding spots or barriers on flat ground—just endless zombies swarming from every direction. A nightmare for any other Awakener.

"Screw this. Time for a change."

Tired of hand-to-hand, I activated Shadow Veil and slipped into the shadows.

The horde charging me lost their target and started wandering aimlessly.

Clear condition's just surviving two hours, so hiding should count.

Talk about easy mode.

I stayed put in the shadows. Ten minutes later, double again—over a thousand zombies flooded out.

The sinkhole was packed tight.

At this rate, no room for the next spawn in ten more minutes.

Curious, I waited. The walls cracked open, revealing hordes behind them.

Makes sense—can't fit thousands in this hole otherwise.

Didn't faze me in the shadows.

Just chill till time's up. Auto-clear.

Staying hidden as the sinkhole filled to the brim—no standing room left.

Fine to leave 'em, but maybe tidy up?

Thousands now, like a zombie wave. Perfect for mid-tier black magic.

From the shadows, I unleashed Black Out overhead.

A sphere of demonic energy erupted, floating up. Gravity reversed, pulling zombies in.

Why bother when I could just wait? Coins and demonic energy drops.

First-clear reward's nice, but why leave all this sweet loot behind?

The sphere grew, sucking harder, devouring every last zombie in the hole.

Once it was done, I canceled the spell and stepped out.

Even hiding was a chore. Finally over.

Now, rewards!

Coins were expected. But a skill? Nice.

Wonder what it is. Let's check.

What?

Am I reading this wrong?