Chapter 217
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 217
Chapter Title: Spec Up
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"We finally did it!"
The voice of Hyun-jung, the Rose Shield clan leader, was the brightest Han Minguk had ever heard. He wondered if the news of the Stone Mountain Dungeon vanishing could really be that thrilling.
"We succeeded in collapsing an [A-5] difficulty dungeon... That means we can claim the Ranker Clan title again next year."
"Ah..."
That explanation made sense.
Hyun-jung, as clan leader, had been the most heartbroken when Rose Shield dropped from Ranker Clan status to a regular one.
Of course, it was bittersweet that the dungeon they'd been spinning like a top had vanished before they could squeeze every last drop out of it. But seeing the jubilant team members and the clan leader right in front of him, Minguk couldn't bring himself to voice any regrets about its collapse.
As he mulled it over, Minguk turned to Hyun-jung.
"We got lucky."
"Luck like that only comes with effort backing it up. No one knows better than me how many times Team GGW has tackled the Hanam Stone Mountain Dungeon."
Minguk's eyes flicked toward Hyun-ah at Hyun-jung's response.
The moment their gazes met, she whistled and looked away—clear evidence she'd vented to her clan leader big sister. Even so, the schedule had been limited to just one or two runs a day due to the difficulty...
He figured they could push a bit harder. If it were truly grueling, she wouldn't even have the energy to complain.
"Anyway, with the big boss dungeon around here gone, the regular dungeons nearby should see a surge in clears now."
"Pardon?"
He tilted his head at the sudden comment, but the reason wasn't hard to guess.
"To wipe out the Void Plains?"
"Exactly. And we need to secure the land too. In a world where the population is plummeting, you might wonder what good vast tracts of land are... But no dungeons means safety."
"True enough."
Minguk nodded at Hyun-jung's words.
Ever since the war against the darkness monsters erupted, everyone had been scrambling for safe havens. These days, preferred residential spots were either clan houses with solid hero defenses or dungeon-free zones.
Even in Seoul, there were a few pristine areas without dungeons—naturally, they were densely packed residential hubs with sky-high property values. Monster-infested world or not, prime real estate stayed pricey.
"Anyway, per the government contract, the site of the vanished Stone Mountain Dungeon becomes Rose Shield Clan property. And the shares will include portions for Raid Leader Han Minguk and the Team GGW members."
"Oh..."
The word "land" drew an involuntary exclamation from his lips.
Hyun-jung continued. The Void Plains spawned around the [A-5] Stone Mountain Dungeon were quite expansive. They'd need precise measurements, but it was at least 100,000 pyeong.
Here I am, a renter worldwide, turning into a landowner... Not that it'd be useful. But that wasn't what mattered to Minguk right now. The dungeon's collapse had toppled the very plans he'd been building.
"I'd like to tackle a new [A-5] dungeon. When can we start?"
"A new dungeon? Already?"
Hyun-jung stared at him in surprise.
On a day of such triumph, most would raise a toast and rest. Yet this man was already gearing up for the next challenge.
"The [A-5] dungeon our clan was handling was the Hanam Stone Mountain one and..."
"The Hwagi-dong Kyunghee Dungeon."
"Right. And as you know, even though the Kyunghee Dungeon is [A-5], it only has one Grade 7 special entity. It's relatively easy for its difficulty, but..."
It wouldn't help Minguk and Team GGW much, since they craved Blue-grade mana crystals only dropped by special entities.
That's why they targeted [A-5] dungeons—to farm those crystals from special bosses.
Higher difficulties were out of reach.
Their heroes' mana and gear specs fell short, and among Rose Shield's dungeons, only one exceeded [A-5]: an [A-4] handled by the clan's first string.
That's why the Stone Mountain Dungeon couldn't collapse yet...
Good luck or bad? Finally, Minguk sighed and scratched his head, gazing at the vanished site's cheers.
Noticing his demeanor, Hyun-jung hesitated before speaking carefully. Sharp as she was, she instantly grasped his thoughts.
"I'll ask other clans for help. They won't mind if we take over a dungeon. The issue is the split..."
"We'll account for that."
Minguk replied immediately. Blue-grade mana crystals were the priority.
"Then I'll make the calls right now."
Hyun-jung started dialing other clan leaders. Eavesdropping subtly, Minguk noted their unexpectedly positive responses.
"I'll draw up the papers with those terms and send a lawyer over. Naksungdae Dungeon, [A-5]. Correct?"
[Yes. We'll be waiting. Oh, and the dungeon timer has about two weeks left? If we can't clear it by then...]
"We'll gladly accept Heroes' Era Clan's assistance."
[We have our own timer, so we'll start two days early to be safe.]
"Of course."
Soon enough, they secured a solid [A-5]: Heroes' Era Clan's Naksungdae Dungeon in Gwanak.
"They handed it over quicker than expected. Isn't dungeon management a clan’s power base?"
Minguk, who'd overheard, asked Hyun-jung post-call. Heroes' Era had yielded the [A-5] clearance permit too easily.
"It's a high-difficulty one."
Hyun-jung explained succinctly.
"Not as bad as Grade 8s, but Grade 7s are still tough customers. Even a Ranker Clan's first string invests serious time. And they have more than one or two such dungeons."
"How many?"
"Heroes' Era manages six from [A-5] up to [A-2] Incheon City Hall. Even with generous one-month timers..."
"They must clear at least one every five days."
"Yes. All high-difficulty ones."
"Hmm..."
In this world's hero dungeon cycles, that was a brutal schedule.
Plus, they got gear loot fees for handing over clearance rights—rest for heroes and passive income. No wonder Heroes' Era jumped at Rose Shield's offer.
Glancing at a number on her phone, Hyun-jung chuckled.
"Word must've spread that we're hunting [A-5]s. Other clans are calling... Anyway, Naksungdae should be just what Raid Leader Han Minguk wants."
"Naksungdae is the dungeon I'm after?"
"Yes. It's tougher than it seems."
As she finished, her secretary handed over documents—details on Gwanak's Naksungdae Dungeon. Ten named bosses to clear, with special entities among them...
'Huh?'
Minguk's eyes widened scanning the page. Hyun-jung smiled, as if anticipating it.
"Surprised?"
"...Yes."
Out of ten named bosses, seven were special monsters.
Meaning most drops would be Blue-grade crystals. But a doubt lingered—if so many specials, why not farm it like a crystal factory?
"Difficulty's higher than expected. Unpredictable patterns too. Even Heroes' Era's first string burns twenty Revival Stones per run."
Hyun-jung wagged a finger, then pulled out a cigarette—conversation dragging sparked her smoke craving.
"High difficulty, huh..."
Minguk wasn't worried.
No named boss was unbeatable; hammer them enough, and the solution emerged. Plus, they had Revival Stones to spare.
"Oh, you said I get a share of the land from the Hanam Stone Mountain collapse?"
"Pardon? Yes."
"How much in cash value?"
"Not much right now. Once the surrounding Void Plains are cleared and deemed safe, land prices will skyrocket."
Minguk smacked his lips at her answer. He'd hoped to sell for Revival Stones, but best to hold for now.
News of Team GGW collapsing Hanam Stone Mountain spread fast—a high-tier dungeon tainting nearly 100,000 pyeong of Void Plains.
Any raid collapsing a top dungeon would've trended, but this was Han Minguk's Team GGW.
He's truly unparalleled... So the hero who'll save the world really exists?
Legend incarnate for real.
How do I become Han Minguk's hero wife?
Awaken mana first?
Nope. Go home.
How many is that now? Three?
Three domestically, but including temporary Dungeon Break ones... Over a hundred easy.
LOL for real. Second-year hero? The guy's existence is straight cheat-mode.
Fans lit up discussions about Minguk and Team GGW. Plenty eyed the former Stone Mountain site too.
Proximity to the front lines was a drawback, but clearing lesser dungeons post-boss collapse promised a safe zone. Non-residential uses had high potential.
Reporters clamored for Rose Shield to parade Raid Leader Han Minguk for interviews—his photo alone spiked views. But Rose Shield couldn't oblige.
They physically couldn't.
Team GGW attempts [A-5] Naksungdae Dungeon in Gwanak!
Team GGW was already diving into Naksungdae—straight from Hanam to Gwanak.
"Got it...!"
"Waaaaah!"
The heroes, drenched in blood and sweat, cheered as the massive slime vanished with a scream. Triumph lit every face.
It was real—they'd cleared Naksungdae's first named boss ever.
'19 tries.'
Minguk recalled his trial count mid-fight. Facing a special entity from the start, but solid results.
The Cave Slime raid hinged on handling the main boss slime's myriad clones.
All clones shared devastating AoE attacks.
One sweep on the raid core meant wipeout. Clones even merged to heal or boost attack power.
Thus, dealer firepower was key—Minguk swapped Yggdrasil for the Blade of Malice against the slime.
'Still, the comp clicked nicely.'
His eyes went to Kim So-jung.
Wielding her greatsword like a wolf amid sheep, she fearlessly cleaved clones.
Wide blade perfect for swatting charging slimes or smashing them into the ground—she maximized it, pulping slimes with wet crunches. Even the big ones fell.
Sure enough, her Hero Pad DPS topped the charts unrivaled. Spotting it, So-jung approached Minguk.