Chapter 283
Chapter: 283
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 283
>Chapter Title: Impulse Soft (3)
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>Having confirmed that a dainty little hoof had replaced his hand, Seongjin felt a twinge of mixed emotions.
But Owen, blissfully unaware, was nothing but cheerful.
"You're turning in pretty early! You logged off pretty late last night, so I figured we might not catch you today. We were planning to head into the dungeon early."
He mumbled on like that, leading Seongjin to their spot with light, bouncy steps.
There, two newcomers—or rather, animals—were already waiting. A plump octopus and a deer with an absurdly long neck.
"......"
From the looks of it, these must be the shadowy friends Owen had been with yesterday. Guest ID users with oracle terminals.
This time, though, thanks to the "Gather, Friends" skin, they had proper forms.
[But Owen. Is this okay? Dungeons with a newbie are dangerous. We still need preparation.]
The chubby octopus twitched its steamed-bun-like beak and wriggled its five tentacles.
The motion was so bizarrely grotesque that it was impossible to tell if it was waving hello or shooing him away.
[I think it's fine. We're familiar with the game, so we can protect him. Welcome, newbie.]
The more composed response came from the other friend, who looked elongated even for a deer.
Were these guys really human? As strong doubts resurfaced and Seongjin stared at them blankly—
[He's turned awfully cute.]
[Quite the adorable avatar you've got there, newbie.]
The two locked eyes with him and sent thoughts simultaneously.
...This damn skin.
* * *
"Look at that. The silent villains are gathering again!"
"What's taking them to a theme dungeon this time?"
"Why'd they bring the baby lamb? Are they doing some kind of sacrificial ritual?"
"No way? Isn't it just a user in a skin?"
Seongjin did his utmost to ignore the whispers and the stares boring into the back of his head.
Just how famous are these guys?
[Don't mind the onlookers too much, Lee Seongjin. Once we're inside the dungeon, all that noise will vanish.]
Paat-paat-paat.
The deer striding ahead reassured him.
He'd introduced himself as "Hatasu Titi." Of course, the friend name registered to Seongjin was the garbled text "#A&**d#!#."
[Hatasu Titi really is reliable, right? He's our party's leader despite the looks. When I first dropped here knowing nothing, he helped me out a ton.]
[Call me Hatasu Titi properly, Owen.]
[Eh, why? It's friendly and cute!]
Among the guest ID users who connected here regularly, Hatasu Titi was said to be the longest-tenured.
[Hatasu Titi. Why complain? You don't call my name properly either. Right?]
The plump octopus spoke a bit curtly, wriggling its tentacles.
[Sorry, Gurlup. But your real name is really hard to convey even in thoughts.]
"Yeah, Gurlup. I still can't memorize your full name."
[Owen! Saying it outright is a matter of manners. Plus, the nickname's pronunciation is off!]
The octopus, whose name roughly sounded like "Gurlupbberabgurub Bibberub," grumbled. Its added friend ID was the incomprehensible "!N;3$$ti0m@."
Even if the text hadn't glitched, whether its real name would display properly was questionable.
[So, where are we headed right now?]
When Seongjin asked via thought, Owen turned back with a friendly reply.
[To a theme dungeon. We couldn't enter before due to the headcount limit, but now we have a newbie. Time to expand our horizons.]
According to their explanation, this place had advanced dungeons called "theme dungeons," unlike regular ones.
They weren't especially high in difficulty, but featured various themes and unique clear conditions. The rewards were supposedly better than standard dungeons too.
The catch was the minimum four-player requirement.
[No four guest IDs had ever logged in simultaneously before. This is our first try, thanks to the newbie.]
Seongjin frowned slightly at Owen's explanation.
'Is this really okay?'
He hadn't explained it properly to them, but he might not even be a proper guest ID user.
And this being the first time four had gathered? It was probably due to some influence from the terminals controlling their logins. Could there be some bigger reason behind it?
An ominous premonition began to creep up.
[No need to worry too much, Lee Seongjin. We'll start at F-rank difficulty, considering it's your first time.]
"Yeah, yeah. We clear A-rank regular dungeons stably. We're just playing it safe, but if we take a bit of risk, S-rank is totally doable!"
[We'll handle the first one. Excessive tension is harmful. Relax.]
Noticing Seongjin's unease, the villain crew turned back to chime in one by one.
[Yeah, got it.]
Seongjin nodded.
Well, these guys have been at it longer here, so they'll manage.
'That said...'
One worry lingered.
Paat-paat. Paat-paat.
Seongjin glanced back as he walked.
Dainty petal-shaped footprints trailed in a long line behind him.
'This is a kiddie skin, right?'
But can it fight? How are the mobs even implemented?
No way they're cute animals too, are they?
* * *
And Seongjin's ominous premonition hit the mark.
As he followed Owen and the villain friends through a weird gate-like entrance, small windows kept popping up, relentlessly blocking his view.
〚Our young friends! Before logging in, have you properly checked this game's violence and gacha ratings? Call your parents and ask again. Isn't this game a bit too violent for playing with friends?〛
Kurruk-kurruk!
Kueee!
Several cries approached from somewhere, but beyond the text windows, the dungeon scene was a massive mosaic blur.
Thankfully, no gruesome cute-animal-smashing ensued. Still, how was he supposed to tell background from mobs like this?
Even if mobs attacked, there was no way to spot the motion.
[Theme dungeon, huh? Pretty novel. I thought it'd just be a goblin cave at first, but this flashy cave is new! Tons of unseen wall paintings too?]
Can't see it.
What's got you so excited, Owen?
[The mobs feel like regular goblins to fight. Just these are yellow and wear fancy feather outfits instead of armor.]
Yeah, can't see.
Yellow goblins in feather clothes? Maybe better off blind.
[Flashy. Rewards look promising!]
Can't see.
What if clear rewards are invisible too and we miss them?
As Seongjin grimaced with grim predictions, the triumphant villain trio charged ahead and began hunting.
Pow! Pow!
Flash! Flash!
Meat impacts echoed with colorful starbursts flying everywhere.
[Theme dungeon? No big deal. The F-rank?]
The red fox Owen swung his handaxe nimbly and shouted brightly. He usually handled close-range DPS in the party, it seemed.
It suited his tall frame and light movements well enough.
[Indeed. And oddly, attacks seem to land even better than in regular dungeons.]
Relief tinged the deer Hatasu Titi's voice too. Despite his serious demeanor, he'd harbored some anxiety about F-rank after all.
His lanky body didn't look sturdy, yet he wielded a massive shield and heavy mace. He was the party's tank, thin enough to flutter away in the wind.
[Step back, Lee Seongjin. Just watch this round.]
The real surprise was the octopus, Gurlup.
Despite its bouncy, soft-bodied look, it darted around the battlefield's edges, firing arrows nonstop.
It even stuck its suckers to the ceiling, shooting with the remaining tentacles deftly.
An octopus skin? No way its real form had suckers too.
[Impressive moves? Gurlupbberabgurub Bibberub.]
When Seongjin sent an honest thought, the octopus turned with an thrilled expression, cheeks jiggling.
[Full name! Lee Seongjin is kind!]
[Uh, fine, eyes front.]
[Got it!]
Flash! Flash!
A party that cleared A-ranks easily lived up to the hype. Fox, deer, and octopus rampaged amid a dazzling star shower.
At the same time—
Ding.
Ding.
Notifications of level-ups chimed nonstop in Seongjin's mind.
'Might boost the avatar's physical abilities a bit...'
With nothing to do, Seongjin fell back and checked his status window.
〚Lv. 3〛
〚Job: Unemployed (Job Change Lv.10)〛
〚HP: ??? Strength: ??? Intellect: ??? Magic: ??? Luck: ???〛
Level shot to 3 in a flash.
But stats were unknown. Another guest ID trait, per Owen.
High levels made physical differences noticeable, but gaps weren't as dramatic as other games.
'So that's how I could kill that player at the start.'
Even high-levels die to newbies if careless. Pretty realistic.
Made the place feel less like a game, more like a vivid world.
[Clear!]
The F-rank wrapped up in moments.
Mercifully, rewards dropped for Seongjin too: newbie armor, doll leather, and a bit of cash.
'500P cash... How long to save for a skin?'
Sighing at near-10,000P skin prices, the villain friends celebrated wildly.
[We did it. Worth the trip!]
[Rewards are great!]
'......?'
He'd thought it stingy, but their joy suggested otherwise.
Sending gifts like this by pooling? Just how deep had Owen dug?
[Why? Why the look?]
The red fox asked curiously, and Seongjin just shook his head silently.
Couldn't call him a sucker to his face.
Next was E-rank.
[These have pearls instead of armor!]
[Thought it was a normal merfolk dungeon, but the flashiness says tropical fish!]
[Beautiful! Ranged attacks work great! Rewards promising!]
Watching the trio whirl colorful stars again, Seongjin suddenly wondered.
[No mages in the group, huh?]
[Ah, another guest ID limit.]
Owen turned with a cheery reply.
[Remember? No high-end facilities for us. Magic needs the mage tower in town.]
[Oh, right? Still okay?]
[Would be nice with a mage, but we can't party with regular players. We've done fine solo. Some elemental weaknesses, but hit enough and they all die.]
[.......]
Yeah. True...
...Why the bad vibes?
As Seongjin scowled, the wind-like clearers shouted excitedly.
[Attacks land even better than regular dungeons?]
[Worried about advanced, but just jitters. User service mode, maybe.]
[Flashy! Great rewards!]
Seongjin pocketed fish cakes, pearls, and cash, frowning.
Hey, hold up.
'That's weird, right? Advanced dungeon but easier hits?'
Before voicing it, the hyped villains barged into D-rank.
Then came hell.
[What? Attacks not landing?]
[This is off! Melee does nothing!]
[Ranged null too! Flashy but scary!]
Watching them charge then scramble back, Seongjin felt a vein throb on his forehead.
You reckless idiots!